Silver Nymph
by spicypig
Summary: Sterling stumbles upon the Phantomhive manor as a cat and ends up sticking around and helping out with Ciel's problems to be near Sebastian. But when she runs into William T. Spears, her past with the shinigami complicates her emotions. (Sebastian x OC)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! This is my first try at writing a fanfic (technically my second try but whatever) so please be a little nicer. I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own the OC (you'll know her name in the future). Hopefully this wasn't too drawn out but honestly, this is way harder than I thought. Although I gotta say I enjoy writing this. I hope you like it!**

 **The story takes place at the same time period as the anime and it just describes one incident between Sebas-chan and the OC (14 chapters later...no It does no _just_ describe one incident xD Oops!). Sorry for any grammar mistakes or spelling errors!**

* * *

I am a couple hundred years old. Yeah, you heard right. I am a type of nature being called Argenymph and I have been living in the woods of a particular region of England for the last couple hundred years. I used to live around modern day London, but all the human technologies choked me so I moved to the outskirts of the city. I may hate all the human inventions but I'm actually quite interested in humans. They're so intensely focused on living their life or saving up for the future that I doubt they ever take a break to just stop and look around. I kind of want to know them better.

Since I want to study the humans but my original form scares many of them (I speak from experience…they all pass out or get heart attacks), I transform into a cat with silver-white fur. Silver is my favorite color! Argentum is the greek name for silver so my official name is literally Silver nymph. However, I cannot change my silver eye color. Usually people seemed to be drawn to me as I am a rather uniquely colored cat but I enjoy it. I very much enjoy the attention they show to me and sometimes if they say they hate cats or try to shoo me away, I would purposefully bother them, just for fun.

* * *

One day, as I wondered the woods in my cat form, I came upon a large and impressive looking mansion in the outskirts of London. I heard an explosion inside the mansion and immediately following that, I heard something break. It sounded like the sound of plates and bowls crashing on the floor. Then I see a young man with golden hair with red hair clips and beautiful emerald eyes run after a ginormous wolf in the gardens. And when I say ginormous, I mean ginormous. This wolf was probably two stories tall and HUGE.

"Plu-plu! Get back here! I need to clean you!"

The only response from the giant wolf was a howl and a stream of fire from its mouth as the wolf galloped away.

 _Is that..a demon hound? What is THAT doing here? What a crazy manor…I want to see more! These people seem more interesting than the boring lot in London._

I walked forward towards what I presumed was the front of the manor when suddenly a shadow fell on my face and I looked up. In front of me stood a tall man with jet black hair and red eyes. He was more beautiful than any other humans I have ever seen before. As I looked up, dazed by his beauty, I noticed that his cheeks were slightly flushed.

He knelt down and started stroking me gently, "Oh my. You are beautiful! Look at those starry eyes that put even the most beautiful night sky to shame. Those eyes are untainted by the foul and disgusting world. And look at that flowing silver coat of yours! So soft to the touch and such a pure color." He then proceeded to pick up one of my paws and squeezed my paw between his long gloved fingers. "and these warm plump paws in the shade light pink…just perfect."

This is the first time someone had ever described my cat form as anything other than "Wow! Such a pretty cat!" or "this cat is so cute!" For the first time in my life, I felt truly appreciated. Plus, him petting me felt really good and comforting so I meowed at the beautiful man and, as if he knew my thoughts, he asked "Are you hungry?" and I meowed again.

"Bo-chan does not allow cats in the manor because of his allergies but, I just can't say no to those large innocent eyes," the man mumbled to himself.

The man turned his attention back to me and said " I simply cannot ignore a cat that obviously needs aid. I shall help you." He then proceeded to pick me up in the most gentle way possible, cradling me in his arms, and walked into the manor. But suddenly, as if the demon hound saw this exchange, it made a u-turn and bolted towards us. As he got nearer, he turned into a human in a flash of fire. He turned into a—naked—human in a flash of fire.

He whined and as he reached his arms out towards me, the beautiful man leaped back several feet with a sigh.

"No. Bad dog."

As he scolded the wolf-person, his eyes narrowed and glowed a fuchsia color. I could almost hear the imaginary knives shooting out of his eyes and the wolf-person whimpered and backed down.

"I will not be disturbed today. Not in the presence of such an elegant cat."

Just to rub it in the human-wolf's face that this beautiful man obviously loved me more, I rubbed my head into his chest and purred. This caused the man's face to flush again and he began stroking me. Seeing this, the demon hound howled its broken-heartedness and I just giggled to myself internally.

 _Heh. What a loser._

The golden-haired boy finally caught up to the demon hound and tilted his head to the side.

"Sebastian, where did you find that cat? It's so pretty! Can I pet it too?"

 _Hmm.. so this man's name is Sebastian…_

"Don't you have the garden to tend to? Go back to work, Finni."

The young man named Finni looked really disappointed. He just stood where he was and stared at Sebastian as Sebastian carried me into the mansion.

* * *

 _Woah. This mansion is huge! I wonder how many rooms are in this place...but this is weird. There doesn't seem to be many people in here. I thought all wealthy people who lived in places like this had hundreds of servants? Interesting...this place just gets better and better! I guess I'll be staying here for a while...hehe._

Sebastian took me to a sparse room and put me on the bed. He looked at me with regret and longing as he said ," I apologize for my rudeness but I have business in the mansion that I need to take care of before I can come back to you. I will be back soon so for now, please make yourself at home here." Then he left the room and his departure came with a quiet click of the door.

After waiting a couple minutes to make sure he actually left, I reverted back to my original self. Now, I'm not exactly sure what I look like but I have seen myself in the reflections of rivers in the woods and I have heard human's description of me. But I seem to be completely pale silver colored and I have long wavy white-silver hair. It's the same color as my fur color when I'm a cat. I usually wear a white flowy dress that goes down to my knees but the bottom of the dress is frayed since I don't remember the last time I had a different outfit. I have no need to wear shoes so I'm always barefoot.

I stood in Sebastian's room and took the scene in. There's the bed that I was sitting on. It doesn't look like it's used. Other than the ruffles I made, it's perfectly smooth. On the left of the bed was a wooden desk with some drawers and a chair. On the right of the bed was a big wooden wardrobe and a wooden drawer. There's one random painting on the wall that's directly across the bed but other than that, the room has no decorations.

"Man, what a boring room! And I was hoping to know a little more about Sebastian..." I pouted.

Then I heard some rustling from the wardrobe.

 _Huh, I guess he really loves cats._

Sensing the cats, I got off the bed and opened the wardrobe. About seven pairs of big cat eyes looked up at me and I smiled.

"Alright everyone. Time to go home! I don't want any of you to distract Sebastian from me."

The cats, knowing that I was an higher leveled being, leaped out of the wardrobe and, with the my help, jumped out through the window above the bed.

 _Ahh...that's much better. Now I get to roam this manor with ease._

I turned back to my cat form and curled up the bed.

 _Hmm...this bed is so comfy. To think it's not often used...what a waste! I think I'll take a nap._

I drifted off into sleep while deciding what I would be doing in the near future at the mansion.

* * *

The door to the room opened. My ears twitched and I sat up immediately to see Sebastian in front of me once again. By this time, the sky outside was dark and the only light that shone was the silver light from the moon and the yellow light from Sebastian's lamp.

"Hello my lovely," he greeted me as he closed the door and walked to his desk to set the lamp down.

"Another day full of unnecessary work because of the those three and the troublesome bo-chan."

Sebastian sighed and looked at me," at least you're still here."

He walked to his wardrobe and begun taking off his formal attire. He took off his black tailcoat, while the decorations on the coat tinkled, and unbuttoned his vest with one hand while the other hand tugged at his tie. He unbuckled his belt and neatly rolled up the belt and put it away in the drawer. Then, he pulled off both his white gloves with his back still facing me.

 _Holy silver! How does he constantly seem to bleed sexiness? If I recall correctly, most humans have blue or brown eyes. But this guy has red eyes. Could he be..?_

When he was only wearing his white dress shirt and dress pants, he unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt and was about to sit on the bed when he stopped.

"The shirt and pants will wrinkle if I lie down. Oh my, I got too excited about you that I got impatient."

Sebastian went back to his drawer and completely took off his dress shirt and hung it up. Then he did the same with his dress pants.

Internally, I screamed. This human is too beautiful to be human. I looked away because I couldn't handle the sexiness but when I turned back, Sebastian had put on a soft black long sleeve shirt and matching black pants.

"Now, where were we?"

Sebastian sat down on the bed with his long legs crossed and beckoned me to come to him. I glanced over my shoulder at him and lazily got up. I took my time to waltz to his lap and got into the comfy space formed by his legs. He reached his hands to my head and began petting me. He scratched behind my ears and I purred. Seeing that I seem to enjoy this, he flipped me over and started stroking my torso.

"Your elegant body puts all other animals to shame. Cats really are the best," Sebastian murmured to himself.

 _Where the heck are you touching!_

I blushed internally and I bit his hand.

"Oh my."

Sebastian stopped and pulled his hand away. He tilted his head and his black hair fell on his face as he looked at me. I was almost hypnotized by his face again but when he pulled his hand away, I noticed he had black nails and his left hand a weird circle thing on it.

 _Wait...I think I've seen that before. If I remember correctly, a couple years ago I saw this weird sign outside a different mansion near London shortly before all those people in there died. But what the heck does it mean? One thing I know for sure is that Sebastian is definitely not human._

"It seems I was rude. But if you will grant me this selfish request. Stay with me for the rest of the night."

I jumped off his lap and begun walking away from him on the bed when I stopped. I swished my tail and once again, I looked over my shoulder at the man.

 _Ugh, I can't say no to him._

I turned around and waited for him. I didn't know what I was waiting for but nonetheless, I waited.

"Cats are such capricious creatures. I never get tired of them," he chuckled as he lied down on his side on the bed and reached his arms out once again. I looked at him and crawled under his arm. His legs curled up and he pulled me closer to him.

 _He has such an odd smell...he had an almost an old spice smell but he also smelled slightly dusty and sweet._

I moved closer to him and breathed him in. He smiled a little and begun stroking my back. Sebastian closed his eyes but kept stroking me. Feeling his warmth and the comfort of his touch, I, too, closed my eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again everyone. I hope you're having a great day! And if you're not, hopefully you will find some escape in my story or hopefully this will make you smile, even if it's just for a little bit. For the sake of your sanity and for the sake of me being able to write this chapter, I put all the servants' rooms in the basement. The kitchen, the dining hall, and banquet halls are in the first floor and the master bedroom is on the second floor. Ciel's study room, libraries, game rooms, and a bunch of other rooms are all on the second floor. The butler's room is also on the second floor since it would make sense for the head servant to be able to respond to the master's wishes/orders as soon as possible. I looked at several reference pictures, supposed floor plans of the manor, and using those information as well as the information I have from watching/reading Kuroshitsuji, I tried my best to describe the manor in a way that would make sense. But, after all, the mansion is huge and there is no actual floor plan, so don't get mad if my description doesn't match your own . Also, I will respond to all reviews at the end of the chapters so don't stop reading as soon as the chapter ends!**

 **This story probably won't have many chapters but each chapter will be pretty long. Just FYI.**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of it's characters! I do own the Argenymph though. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Mmmmm…where am I?_

I blinked my eyes a couple times and saw the lazy orange light on the polished wooden floor in front of the door that signaled dawn. It took me several seconds before I realized where I was.

 _Oh right! I was in my cat form yesterday and I got brought into this mansion by…ahhh…Sebastian._

I elevated myself with my elbows and sat up. I hunched over and rubbed my eyes. Then my long silver-white hair fell into my face when I was getting up and I realized I was in my true form (which resembles the human form). I can't believe I forgot I always turn back to my true form right when I am about to wake up. Oopsies! I quickly looked around the room and sighed a breath of relief when I saw that Sebastian wasn't in the room. I don't know how he would react if he finds out I'm not actually a cat so for now, I'll keep my true self hidden. It seems this transition whenever I sleep has something to do with the fact that while I sleep, my energy recharges and when I'm "fully charged," my true form is the only form that can withstand this amount of power when I'm not conscious. But as soon as I wake up, I have no problems controlling my forms (this only applies to deep sleep; when I nap, I am half awake so I don't have to worry about my true form showing). I am a nymph after all so I don't need to eat. I absorb the energy around me and that's what keeps me alive. Sleeping is the best way for me to recharge although I do consistently absorb small amounts of energy around me throughout the day.

Anyways, I got off the bed and realized that other than the place I lied on, the rest of the bed was cold.

"So it seems Sebastian has been gone for a while, huh..," I sounded disappointed, even to myself. Last night was so lovely…cuddling with Sebastian and being near him really makes me calm and excited at the same time. He smelled so good I just want to be always wrapped in that blanket of intoxicating scent…

I shook my head and lightly slapped my cheeks, trying to push all these thoughts out of my mind.

 _No! Stop thinking of this man you don't even know in such an intimate way!_

"But it's so early…most people don't wake up so early. I wonder what he does. He did tell that Finni guy yesterday to get back to work so maybe he's the owner of this mansion? But if he were the master, why would he stay in this boring room? He probably doesn't own this place then…but then what's his purpose of being here? I guess I can only find out if I follow him."

I giggled a little and remembered that Sebastian said something about his bo-chan being allergic to cats. I don't know what a bo-chan is but I can only assume it's a person.

"Heeheehee. This'll be fun."

I walked to the door and pulled down the handle. I did my best to walk quietly and I left the room. I gently closed the door and changed back into my cat form. It seemed Sebastian's room was at the end of a short hallway. I walked down the hall on maroon carpet with golden patterns and saw that the hallway lead to the right.

 _Since Sebastian wasn't the owner, he was probably some sort of servant. Servants generally don't stay with the masters, so I'll guesstimate that I'm probably in the basement of this place._

I took my time to stroll around the corner but then realized I was standing at the end of yet another hallway and this time, this hallway was extravagantly decorated. Large painting filled the walls and I saw at least 10 doors down the hall.

 _I guess I'm NOT in the basement…maybe I'm on the second floor?_

I kept thinking to myself as I walked through the hall. After I passed that hallway, I came across the foyer. The front entrance of the mansion lead into the light beige floor. Then right smack in the middle of the entrance room are the stairs that start off as as one flight of stairs and split into two: one leads to the right and one leads to the left, in a sort of Y shape.

This mansion is honestly so over-the-top luxurious. Who the heck lives here? They must be insanely rich, powerful, and experienced to be able to afford this kind of mansion.

As I pondered about the master of this mansion, I heard some clinks and chopping noises coming from down stairs. I lightly hopped down the stairs and followed the sounds until I was in front of a wooden door. Seeing that the door had no handles, I pushed the door with my head and it opened a little bit. I continued to push the door and slid through the small crack into that room.

 _Hmmm something smells good._

I don't need to eat, but that doesn't mean I can't eat. I enjoy food from time to time and throughout my life, I've come to like human food quite a lot since humans always feed me whenever they see me. Humans seem to love feeding any animals they see roaming the streets.

Anyways, I heard someone shuffling around the room and I sneaked under the table in the middle of the room and crawled towards the person. I peaked out at the person and realized it was Sebastian. He looked like he was preparing breakfast. But I was in awe. The way this man moved when he's cooking looked like the complicated dances fallen leaves perform in the sky and on the ground. Once again, I was captured by his elegance.

"Oh my. What are you doing here?"

 _Crap! He saw me. Stupid Sebastian. Why do you have to be so mesmerizing?_

I meowed and slowly walked out from under the table. I stretched out my two front legs and stuck my butt in the air and did a very convincing cat stretch. Sebastian put the oven tray he was holding with his hands on the countertop and knelt down in front of me. He reached out his hand and started petting my head.

"Good morning. I hope you slept well. Now, you know I enjoy your company immensely but bo-chan do not allow me to have cats in the manor."

 _Tch. What a liar. What about all those other cats you had in your room, huh?_

Annoyed at his excuses, I blinked and opened my eyes as big as I could and put on my best pouting-kitty face. Then I meowed a sad…meow.

Sebastian's face immediately flushed and he said, "ahh I just can't say no to your gorgeous eyes. Very well then, You can accompany me until I wake up bo-chan. But at that time, you must go back to my room, okay?"

 _Hmph. As if I'd listen to you, you beautiful creature._

I meowed as if I was going to follow his orders and I continued to shadow him as he went about his morning chores.

"It is time for me to wake up bo-chan. You have to go back, okay?"

Sebastian picked me up once again and carried me back to his room. He left me on his bed and said "be a good girl and wait for me to come back," before he turn and left.

 _Seriously. You may not be human but you're a fool if you think I'll just stay in your room quietly. It's way too boring!_

And once again, I turned back to my human form and snuck out the room. I returned to my cat form and silently trailed after Sebastian. He walked down the hall until he stopped at a particular door. He knocked twice and opened the door.

"Excuse me."

I quickly followed him into the room just as the door was about to close. I did my best to mask my presence and tiptoed behind Sebastian and when he walked by the king sized bed in the middle of the room, I ducked under skirt of the bed and peeked out to see him open and secure the curtains.

"Bo-chan, it's time to wake up."

Sebastian then walked to the other side of the bed and I moved across the bottom of the bed to the other side as well. I hear the sound of liquids pouring and I saw Sebastian's feet stop next to the bed. I heard a rustle on the bed and saw a pair of thin pale legs swing over the bed.

 _Sebastian is probably pouring tea. It seems that's what every human drinks. But where did he bring the tea set? I didn't even see him bring up them up when he dumped me in his room!_

"Allow me."

 _Allow me…? What's Sebastian talking about?"_

"Fresh poached salmon with mint salad has been prepared for your breakfast. Toasts, scones, and French pastries have also been prepared as accompaniment. Which would best suit your taste today?"

"Scones." A sleepy but surprisingly tender voice responded.

 _This is the bo-chan that Sebastian kept mentioning? This person is probably the master of this place but this person also sounds really young…AGHHH! I want to see what's going on! And I also want to see the owner of the voice so bad! Maybe this is my chance to make this manor a little bit more exciting? Teehee._

I did my best to stay under the bed but I peaked my head out to see Sebastian dressing a young girl with short hair..wait a young boy? I think he's a boy…he has dark grey-blue hair and had entrancing sapphire eyes. Eye. Actually. His right eye had an eye patch over it.

 _Why is he wearing an eye patch? He's obviously really young. What happened to him?_

"This aroma…Earl Grey?" The boy asked, as he brought the cup to his mouth.

As he was about to take a sip, he paused. Sebastian looked at him questioningly when suddenly, the boy had a sharp intake of air. Then, _ACHOO._ He sneezed. As he looked down at his pockets for his handkerchief, he made eye contact with me. We both froze.

 _He saw me! What do I do?_

* * *

 **Well, did this chapter turn out how you expected? I hope you liked it and it made you smile because I know this made me very happy! Sorry for the cliff hanger! These chapters are really long so if I don't cut it off here, this will end up twice as long so please understand.**

 **I'm going to be updating as much as I can but, being an American, I will be seeing my family on Thanksgiving (which is this week) and I also have homework to worry about. But don't worry too much. Whenever I update it means the next chapter(s) have already been written! Being an impatient person myself, I hate waiting for stories to come out so I'll do my best to spare you the torture.**

 **promocat: Sebastian can only lower his guard when he's around cats so OC is very lucky…I'm kind of jealous…**

 **batgrrl: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 1 and don't worry, I would not leave a story unfinished. You'll definitely know if I were done but for now, this story shall go oooooooon~~~! If you want to keep tab on my stories I suggest you create an account; it's definitely easier than looking through the thousands and thousands of stories on this site :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hellooooo! Happy Thanksgiving! 3 3 This story was supposed to be a oneshot but I don't know how to write one without sacrificing the character developments. Sigh but never mind that. I'm actually glad this is going to be longer than I thought. Now I get to pretend to be the cat that's spoiled by Sebby. After all, that's every girl's dream right? ;)**

 **(I'm not done writing Chapter 4 but as my holiday treat for you all, I'll post chapter 3..I'm most likely post 1-2 times a week)**

 **"yes…cuddling Sebastian is very, very, VERY nice…"**

 **Argenymph! Stop. Making. Me. JEALOUS!**

 **"Teehee. That's what you get for making me so cheeky"**

 **Ugh…go away…**

 **I tried to write in different perspectives but I'm not sure how well it turned out. Don't be afraid to give me feedback! I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own that lucky butt, Argenymph. You'll know her real name later but you'll think her name is super cliche. Oh well ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯ Enjoy!**

* * *

Argenymph's POV

"DAMMIT SEBASTIAN! Is that a CAT in my room? You know I'm allergic!" Then the boy sneezed.

Just to make things a little more…fun…I slithered out from under the bed and walked towards Sebastian. I curled down at his feet and looked at the boy, who, although looked furious, also looked comical with the tears pooling in his eyes. I could tell another sneeze was on the way so I just sat by Sebastian's foot and watched. I flicked my tail back and forth, causing the fine hairs on my body to swirl around in the air. I watched the hairs reach the young boy and once again, he sharply suck in some air and sneezed. Instant relieve danced on his face before more of my hairs were blown near him. He sniffled, still holding his handkerchief to his nose and glared at Sebastian.

Ciel's POV (before discovering Argenymph)

 _Hmm._

I felt the bright morning sun attack my eyes and heard Sebastian walk to the right side of my bed. I sat up and grabbed my eyepatch and tried to put it in. My fingers fumbled with the strings and I gave an inaudible sigh.

 _I can't even put on my own damned eyepatch._

"Allow me."

Sebastian proceeded to tie the strings behind my head. Then he begun dressing me while reciting the menu for breakfast.

"Fresh poached salmon with mint salad has been prepared for your breakfast. Toasts, scones, and French pastries have also been prepared as accompaniment. Which would best suit your taste today?"

"Scones."

Sebastian poured the tea handed me the cup. Smelling the tea, I asked," This aroma…Earl Grey?" As I was about to take a sip, my nose started itching.

 _What the hell?_ _Did Sebastian just finish touching a cat?_

As I opened my mouth to ask, I couldn't help but sneeze. I looked down to find my handkerchief in my pockets when I noticed some silver-white fur accompanied by some startling silver eyes peaking out from under my bed.

"DAMMIT SEBASTIAN! Is that a CAT in my room? You know I'm allergic!" I managed to blurt out before I sneezed again.

The cat had the audacity to walk out from under my bed as if it owned the place. It lazily sauntered towards Sebastian and curled up at his feet. It lied there, watching my every move as if it was amused. Then it swished its tail. Multiple times. I could see all the tiny hairs floating towards me but before I could protect my nose, I sneezed again.

Why isn't Sebastian doing anything? I glared at him as he was looking down at the cat, thinking God knows what. I continued glaring at him until at last, he seemed to come back to his senses.

 _That's odd. Sebastian is always on top of everything. His face and actions tell me that he didn't purposefully bring the cat ing. Ah hah! He didn't even know the cat was here! I must take advantage of this fact somehow._

Sebastian plastered on his million dollar smile and bowed.

"My apologies, my lord. I shall remove this cat from your room at once."

Sebastian's POV (Immediately after Argenymph was found)

 _Where did she come from? I'm sure I left her in the room and I closed the door. Also, I didn't notice she was following me at all, let alone knowing she was in bo-chan's room. This cat is, indeed, special._

I put on my most polite smile and bowed.

"My apologies. I shall remove this cat from your room at once."

The earl continued glaring at me and wordlessly dismissed me with his eyes.

I picked up the plush creature and payed my respects to the disgruntled young lord before exiting his room.

Argenymph's POV (real time)

Sebastian picked me up AGAIN and bowed to the furious boy before leaving that room. He walked down the halls and entered his room. As soon as he closed the door, Sebastian stopped and held me out at arms length. He regarded me for a second before speaking.h

"You are such an interesting creature. More interesting than normal cats. When I first saw you, I couldn't feel your presence. But I was completely taken by your beauty that I just forgot that fact. And what just happened in bo-chan's room proves that you're no ordinary cat. How did you even get out of my room? I know for a fact I closed the door."

 _Hehe. You can wrack your brain all you like, Sebastian. But I'm never letting you know my secret._

I meowed at Sebastian in an effort to act like a normal cat. He just brought me in close again and closed his eyes. He scratched my neck affectionately and sighed.

"Well, it's going to be another busy day for me. I need to take care of the mansion and bo-chan to make sure the place is still standing by the end of the day and I can't let my meal die before it's been completely marinated..."

 _Meal? I have yet to see Sebastian eat anything. I wonder what his "meal" is…_

"...regrettably, it seems I have to leave you once more. Please don't wonder the hall? At least not when bo-chan is near."

When I heard that, I leaped from his arms and stalked to his bed before jumping on the mattress. Annoyed that Sebastian seemed so keen on leaving me alone, I turned away from him and lied down on his soft sheets with my butt facing him.

"My my. That's not a very lady-like," Sebastian chuckled before leaving the room.

 _UGH! This is no fun. I can't stand being inside another second. I need to get. Out. Of. Here!_

Well, as annoyed as I was with Sebastian, I didn't want to cause him anymore problems. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for the bo-chan and avoid him. After I made up my mind, I double checked the door to make sure it was closed and listened to see if Sebastian was still around. All I heard was silence.

 _Alright then. Time to explore this mansion a little more!_

* * *

 **Annnnnd that's it. Sorry it was so short compared to the other chapter. This is the end of the story. PSYCH! I was totally kidding. Next chapter will be back to Argenymph's POV but if you guys liked this switching of the POV, pm me or write reviews. I hope the switching from Argenymph to Ciel to Sebastian wasn't confusing. But the only way for me improve is if you guys let me know! Thank you for reading and see you on the next one :)**

 **Mushybooma: Thank you and happy Thanksgiving to you too! I'm glad you enjoy this :)**

 **promocat: I know right! I feel like Ciel just ignores these things because he has enough things to worry about. But soon, he will need to worry about Argenymph's presence in the mansion *hint hint* ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! As you can probably tell, I won't be updating every day. These chapters take a while to write and there's also something called life that I can only kick to the side sometimes. But don't worry! My goal is to update 1-2 times a week :) No promises though.**

 **And a quick side note: Argenymph's dress is actually not made of fabric. It's like condensed energy that's so condensed that it takes a physical form and you can see it. The reason it's frayed at the bottom is because things that should be covered are already covered. So technically, it's more faded out than frayed.**

 **And as always, I appreciate all the views, reviews, favorites, and comments! It makes writing that much more fun and worth it.** **I also don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of it's characters.**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

I decided to explore the outside of the mansion first. After all, masters generally don't spend extended time outside. They most likely spend their time inside and if they do come out, it's probably for a business trip. I would have free reign to do as I please outside. Besides, I preferred to be outside, where I could be directly in contact with nature.

I walked to the head of Sebastian's bed and looked at the rectangular window above the bed. I leaped up, landing on the little ledge, and pushed the window open with my head. Then I jumped out the window and landed outside. I glanced back at the open window and decided to leave it open. After all, Sebastian never used his room anyways and I've never seen anyone visit his room either; It's kind of my own personal room. Heehee, that thought made me kind of happy. After landing outside, I looked around my surroundings and saw the backyard. But saying that it's just a backyard is an understatement. The area behind the mansion disappeared into the horizon in a luscious green carpet. It had a large garden filled with flowers with every imaginable color: lavender, pink, indigo, bright yellow, red, and many more. There were also countless hedges that were trimmed in specific geometric shapes: exotic triangles, rectangles, squares, and...a skull? And there were walking paths made for strolls in the beautiful landscape. Anyone who takes a walk here would instantly for get his/her worries in an instant and be enchanted by the dazzling scenery.

 _This place is bigger than I thought! You can probably have a whole circus perform here._

After taking in the breathtaking scene, I decided to walk to my right. I turned the corner and came upon the front side of the mansion and the place where I first laid eyes on Sebastian.

 _So Sebastian's room is in the back side of the mansion._

I trotted, once again, towards the front of the building, determined to have a 360 degree view of the entire mansion and, once again, saw Finni chasing after the demon hound.

"Plu-Plu! Come back here! There's a guest coming later and Sebastian told me to put you somewhere else!"

Wanting to get a better view of the demon hound, since I have only heard rumors about them but have never seen them until recently, I walked to the front staircase of the mansion and took a seat on a stone step. Finni chased after the demon hound, which he called Plu-Plu, down the dirt road. Then, as he caught up, Finni reached out and grabbed Plu-Plu's tail and _tossed_ it backwards.

 _Holy shit! He threw that demon hound like it weighed nothing! Just how strong is this guy? That's NOT normal._

All the while, Finni, who was yelling for the demon hound to come back, began laughing as if he was having the best time of his life, and yelled," Plu-Plu! If you wanted to play, you could've just told me!"

 _Uh, I'm pretty sure the demon hound is trying to get as far away from you as possible…Finni isn't very bright, is he?_

The demon hound whimpered when it saw that Finni had turned around and was running at it again. It jumped up and ran for its life. As it neared the roundabout in the front of the mansion, it noticed me and I saw a dangerous glint cross its eyes. Then it made a beeline towards me.

 _Well, shit. Sebastian's not here and I'm not powerful enough to fight it in my cat form. I can't transform back to my original form since that will blow my cover…What should I do?_

While debating my possible list of actions, the demon hound got closer and closer. Right when he was going to reach me, I decided to just go for it.

 _I don't have time to think! I'll just do my best to evade this monstrous thing._

Plu-Plu dived head first, with his jaws open, towards me. I leaped out of the way easily and landed on a little raised platform . The demon hound's assault resulted in a loud _boom_ and a large crater in the stairway, which would make walking up the stairs in the future nearly impossible. It got up and shook its body while searching for me with its slanted red eyes. Once it found me standing in front of the mansion, the demon hound opened its jaw and let out a stream of fire. I ducked under the scorching jet and hopped down to the dirt road. This repeated, but failed, assaults by the demon hound continued for several minutes until the front doors abruptly opened.

Both of us, distracted by the door, stopped to look at who had opened the door. It was Sebastian. His sharp eyes surveyed the surrounding damages before his eyes came upon me, tensing to escape if the demon hound attacked again, and the demon hound planted in front of me, preparing to attack. His eyes widened and within a second, he was in front of me. He bent down and scooped me up in his arms. Then he just started walking away as if nothing was happening. I pawed my way on top of Sebastian's shoulder so that he was holding my lower half but I could see past his shoulder. The demon hound seemed like it was going to cry. The next thing I knew, it had turned into a naked human again and it ran towards us. Sebastian slightly turned his head and glared at Plu-Plu.

Plu-Plu whimpered but would not back down. He continued following us while crying nonstop. Sebastian walked to the front door of the mansion and opened it. He took a step inside before glancing back at the demon hound.

"Stop that incessant whining or I'll put you to rest eternally. Do not forget the only reason I am allowing your existence at this mansion is because of young master's order."

I shivered when I heard the cold and ruthless tone of Sebastian's voice. He truly sounded evil and heartless.

 _Thank god he loves me! I would NOT want him as an enemy._

The demon hound looked so sorrowful I almost felt bad for it. I could almost feel its anguish at being rejected by Sebastian that I had to look away. I shivered, recalling Sebastian's callous voice, and buried my face into his chest.

 _I'm actually kind of afraid of Sebastian now._

As I thought of that, I felt his gloved hand stroke my head.

"You are shivering. You must have been frightened. I apologize for my delayed arrival. Bo-chan was being difficult as usual but I am glad I arrived when I did. Good thing you weren't harmed. I don't know what would have happened had I lost you."

 _But I was shivering because of you...I had no problem evading that clumsy Plu-Plu._

"But I must commend you on surviving as long as you did. Demon hounds are known for their swift and destructive attacks. You really are an extraordinary creature."

Sebastian turned left into a hall with bare and chipping white-green walls and pushed opened a whitewashed door. He put me down on the countertop and proceeded to take his tailcoat off and hung it on a hook on the wall. He tied a long white apron on his waist and faced me.

 _Damn! He looks good in anything._

"Are you hungry? I just realized I have yet to give you any food. How rude of me. What would you like to have? Does seared salmon with rosemary sound good?"

I meowed as a response. I'm positive anything Sebatian made would be delicious so I had no doubts. Besides, now I get to watch him cook.

"Very well then. Please wait while I prepare your meal."

The room was soon filled with a delicious scent. I waited eagerly for my meal and at last, Sebastian put down a white plate in front of me. The plate looked beautiful! A piece of still sizzling salmon with a delicious brown crust on the top and bottom with some greens sprinkled on top. Accompanied with the salmon was some steaming scrambled eggs and several cubes of cheese.

 _What weird pairings. But I'm sure it tastes good._

I attacked the food and soon, everything was devoured.

"My, my. You are a hungry little kitten," Sebastian said proudly as he watched me devour my meal.

He stroked me while I ate and as soon as I finished, I lied down, content. Sebastian continued to stroke me with a gentle smile on his face as he watched me. Then, all of a sudden, I felt a burst of energy inside me.

 _Woah. That meal really energized me. I didn't think I could convert food into energy. But I think I just did...this has never happened before!_

I felt the energy spread throughout my body. Every single hair felt like it would explode from the sheer amount of energy my body had converted.

 _Shit! I need to do something or else my body will revert to its original form. I can't let that happen!_

I meowed and tried to casually leave the room. I jumped down the countertop and wobbly headed towards the door. My vision started getting blurry.

 _Damn it! Almost there...you can do it..._

I almost made it to the door when my field of view shifted. I found myself looking at Sebastian's beautiful face and realized he had picked me up.

 _No...no...no! Why would you do that? Let me go!_

I weakly struggled against Sebastian's warm arms. I vaguely saw his eyes widen in shock.

 _Oh yeah..this is the first time I didn't like it when he picked me up...sorry, Sebastian._

He set me down on the floor and I stumbled out of the door.

* * *

I sat up with a gasp of air.

 _Where am I?_

I looked around my surrounding and realized I was in Sebastian's room.

 _How did I get here? Did Sebastian bring me here? Damn it! He knows I'm not actually a cat...is he going to kick me out? But I wanted to stay here longer! Wait...if Sebastian found me when I wasn't a cat and he didn't like that I wasn't a cat, there's no way he would've brought me back here._

I continued thinking about this situation forwards and backwards, trying to figure out whether or not Sebastian brought me to his room.

"Well, if he knows my true form and still let me stay here, I guess I no longer have to stay in disguise. I think I'll go greet him formally since I didn't get a chance to do that when I was a cat."

Having decided what to do, I got off the bed and left his room in my original form.

* * *

 **How was your weekends? I had a great time spending time with my friends and family this weekend but I'm back now! I will most likely post 1-2 times a week and, if I'm feeling ambitious or have nothing to do, 3 times. I'm sorry if I don't update enough but trust me, I am doing my best to balance everything! This chapter felt a little slow in the beginning..what do you think? Also, did you catch the little references I threw in here? I often toss in references here and there. How about this, let's make this a game. Find all the Kuroshitsuji references in a chapter and pm me. Then the winner gets a shout-out? No? Alright then...I'll only do this if you guys want to so, the ball is in your court!**

 **Another note, I researched on what foods cats can eat and it turns out, they are carnivorous so they do not need veggies to be healthy. Eggs, cheese, and fish are also very nutritious for felines so that's what I decided Sebastian would make.**

 **Another, another note (haha): I think I will be writing some holiday specials when I'm on winter break so look forward to that!**

 **Artist-kun: I will do my best! It makes me happy that people enjoy my work :)**

 **KeiC353: I'm looking forward to you reading this!**

 **promocat: Exactly! The mystery keeps both of them engaged and interested in each other. By the way, thank you for always reviewing my chapters! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**What's shaking, peeps? Haha that's not how I usually talk. It's surprisingly hard to come up with novel ways to greet people so I reached into my cyber dictionary and pulled this one out. This chapter is longer than the other chapters because I'm not sure if I will be able to update this story on Monday so this is kind of..compensation, you could say. Anyways, uh…I got nothing more to say so let's just jump straight in. I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own Argenymph. Enjoy!**

* * *

I walked out of the room with my head tall and shoulders back. The first room I went to was the bo-chan's bedroom since that's the only room I knew that was on the second floor other than Sebastian's. I arrived at his room and stopped in front of the dark wooden door. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Empty.

 _There's no one in the room...oh yeah it's like the middle of the day so of course the master wouldn't be in the bedroom. Gah! What was I thinking? Well, the only other place I know in the mansion is the kitchen and it's around lunchtime right now so Sebastian is probably in the kitchen!_

I took my time to stroll through the mansion. As I was about to reach the foyer, I heard someone speak and I turned around to look.

"Who are you?"

The person standing in front of me was a woman dressed like a maid with short spiky pink hair and massive round glasses with a crack.

"Ahh, are you the maid?"

"Yes, yes I am!"

The maid seemed extremely proud to be the maid but honestly, looking at this place, I would be proud too. Everything was so clean and perfectly decorated.

"You have done a lovely job with keeping the mansion clean and in place!"

Her face fell and she looked down, a rosy blush spreading on her cheeks. She fidgeted and and sheepishly confessed," actually, Sebastian is the one who keeps everything in place."

"But you just told me you were the maid?"

"Ah, yes I am but Sebastian is so perfect at everything that we actually cause more trouble than we help, yes we do!"

 _We? Must be the people Sebastian complains about._

"I am not surprised. He seems very detail oriented."

She blushed again and said," yes..he is good at everything."

 _Hmm? It seems the maid has a crush on Sebastian. That reminds me, what exactly is his job? All I know is he must be an upper level servant or else he wouldn't be staying on the second floor._

"I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name," I smiled as I asked the maid.

"Ahh! Forgive me for not introducing myself. I'm Mey-Rin," she responded, bowing.

 _"_ No worries! My name is Sterling."

"Sterling? My, what a beautiful name! Yes, a beautiful name!" She rambled.

"By the way, Mey-Rin. Do you know where Sebastian is?"

"Ah, he is in bo-chan's office right now."

"Where is the office?"

"It's on the second floor, the door to the left of bo-chan's bedroom. But why are you look-"

"Thank you!" I blurted out before she finished her sentence. I continued past the foyer to the boy's office. I stood in front of the door and stared at it hard.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

"Wow! that miss was very beautiful! Her hair seemed very light and glossy but her skin color seemed a bit funky. It looked kind of...silver? Hmm...I'm probably imagining things. She was so friendly and graceful! The way she walked looked almost catlike...ahh to have been lucky enough to see such a pretty person...wait, wait, wait! But why was she looking for Sebastian? AHH! I shouldn't have let her roam around the mansion...Sebastian is going to get mad at me again. I need to find her!"

Having had that conversation with herself, she ran towards bo-chan's study

* * *

 _Okay, stop. Am I sure I want to expose myself to the master? Sebastian might already know but as far as I know, he is the only one who knows of my true self in the mansion. I won't have to worry about the maid. She seems kind of air-headed like that Finni guy. Is this such a good idea?_

As I argued with myself in my head, I heard the door click open and Sebastian paused in the doorway with his left hand on the door handle and a silver serving plate under his right arm. His eyes opened wide as he looked me from head to toe.

"What is it, Sebastian?" The boy asked.

Sebastian's face immediately went back to normal.

"Nothing is the matter. I shall go prepare for your afternoon tea."

Sebastian turned around, all the while blocking the boy from my view, bowed, and gently shut the door. As he moved out backwards, I retreated as well to make sure I wouldn't bump into him. I stood, my back against the wall, and watched Sebastian. He stood facing the door for a second before slowly turning around. When he did turn around, he had an unreadable expression on his face.

"My, my. What do we have here?"

Confused, I just stared at him. Then he asked again.

"Who might you be?"

As Sebastian questioned me, he casually walked closer with a dangerous glint in his eyes. As he got closer, he seemed to notice something. He paused and took a closer look at my hair.

"It looks just like..," he said under his breath.

Then he made eye contact and actually looked in my eyes. His eyes widened again and he drew closer. He came closer and closer until he was so close I could feel his breath on my face. But I couldn't look away. I saw my own silver eyes reflect in his red eyes. I feel like I wasn't looking at him anymore. I was looking at a deep well filled with blood and I felt like I was going to fall into it.

Sebastian suddenly straightened up. He plastered on a polite smile and nonchalantly asked," are you, by any chance, that cat?"

 _Wait...didn't he already know that it's me? I thought he was the one who brought me back to his room! Who brought me to his room then? Does this mean more than one person knows my true form? Shit...this wasn't supposed to happen._

 _"_ What do you think?" I said, desperately trying to find a way out of this situation.

Sebastian grabbed his right arm with his left hand and brought his right hand up to his chin. He grabbed his chin with three fingers and slightly tilted his head.

"Well, your hair color and eye color is exactly the same as the cat. And since that startling white-silver hair and silver eyes are unique features, I can only infer that you are somehow related to it," he said, bemused.

"I guess you'll never know."

"Also, similar to the cat, I could not feel your presence. That cat and you are the only living creatures I have come upon whose presence I could not sense."

I glanced around the hall. As soon as Sebastian broke his attention, I'm going to escape.

"My, my. You're not trying to escape, are you? I have to ascertain you are or are not the cat so I would advise you to stay put. Besides," Sebastian smirked wickedly," no one can escape a demon."

 _A demon? Is that what Sebastian is? Well, that certainly explain the demon hound's obsession with him and his absurd good looks. Now that I think about it, he does give off a demonic air. I think I couldn't pick that up when I was in my cat form, which would explain why I didn't know until I came face to face with him in my true form. Things finally make sense._

I took a good look at Sebastian and saw that the aura he let out was not muddy. In fact, it has a sharp black look to it, sort of like obsidian.

 _Sebastian must be a high leveled demon. Lower leveled demons give off a dirty aura but the higher leveled the demon, the more crystallized and pure the dark color is. But if he is, there is definitely no way I can escape him without a serious battle. It's not worth it._

"How are you going to know whether or not I'm the cat?" I casually asked as I tried to inch away from Sebastian. He was still a little too close for comfort.

The corners of his lips lifted a little.

"What is the one creature who seems to hate you with all of its heart?"

I pondered his question for a second before realizing.

"Plu-Plu?"

I looked at Sebastian and he chuckled.

"His name is actually Pluto. And you just gave yourself away."

"What?"

"There's no way you would know about Pluto or his nickname if you hadn't been here at the mansion and the only nonhuman guest here in the last couple weeks has been you."

 _Shit!_

"I don't know what you're talking about."

 _Well, I might as well feign ignorance. I kind of want to mess with him. He always seem so calm I just want to see his expression change._

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. I have no idea what you're blabbing about."

Sebastian took a step forward and leaned down. He lifted his right hand and ran his fingers through my long hair and pulled up a strand. He stroked my hair and moved his face closer to mine. I looked away sideways and tried to ignore his face and his fingers.

"Still not going to admit that the cat was you?"

I bit my lips together and shook my head.

 _This is too much for me! I need to run._

Trying to escape Sebastian, I took a step to the right only to have Sebastian move with me and this time, he slammed his left hand on the wall. He trapped me.

"Come on, kitty. Just admit it," he said seductively, bringing his face closer to mine.

I watched his face come closer and just when he was about to touch me, I gave up.

"Alright alright! I was the cat! Now could you please get away from me?"

I tried shoving Sebastian away but he barely moved.

 _Damn! He is so strong._

He moved his head to the left and came closer until I could feel his breath on my left ear.

"You're blushing," he whispered.

Driven by the instinct to run away from this situation, I saw the opening on the left. I couldn't go right because his right arm was free and he'd just catch me. As soon as I found the opening, I ducked under his arm and blindly ran. But as soon as I turned the corner, I bumped into someone with such force that I stumbled backwards and hit my head on the wall. I slumped down and tried to see who I had ran into. I saw some pink hair and heard a groan.

"Ouch! That was a strong hit..yes it was! Oh my gosh, miss! Are you alright?"

Mey-Rin got up and ran towards me. She knelt down and examined my head. My vision was blurry. I saw her turn her head and heard her say," Sebastian! I ran into her around the corner and she seemed to have hit her head!"

 _Sebastian?_ _My head hurts a lot._

Suddenly, I felt the floor disappear from under me. I heard Mey-Rin give a squeak and the last hazy thing I saw was Sebastian's face, looking at me with what I thought was concern.

* * *

 _Ugh...I have a killer headache._

I woke up but kept my eyes closed. I could see the light even with my eyes closed and the brightness only hurt my head more. I groaned and ducked under the sheets to try to escape the light. Then I realized that I was lying on something really soft and the thing covering me wasn't a sheet but was, instead, a comforter.

 _Sebastian's bed isn't this soft and doesn't have a comforter._

I stretched out my limbs like a starfish.

 _Sebastian's bed isn't this large either. What am I lying on?_

Reluctantly, I flipped the comforter off my face and squinted my eyes open and looked around. I saw the pure white cloths attached to the rectangular frame directly on top of the bed that draped off the frames like whipped cream on a wedding cake. I was also lying on a large bed with the fluffy, super comfortable comforter.

"Ugh..it's so bright," I complained, half hoping that the curtains would close on that cursed large window. Suddenly, the room plunged into darkness.

"Wha-" I sat up and saw that Sebastian was the one who had closed the curtains. Before I could say anything, I heard the boy speak from somewhere way closer to me than Sebastian was. I turned my head and saw the bo-chan sitting on an armchair right next to the bed.

"It seems you have woken up."

 _No shit! I'm just sitting up with my eyes open when I sleep. Dumbass! I'm obviously awake!_

"So it seems," I responded.

"You're not human."

It wasn't a question.

"What am I supposed to say?" I shot back, irritated that he seemed so full of himself. Plus the massive headache I felt didn't help lower my temper.

I heard Sebastian give a quiet chuckle and the boy's eyebrows went up before furrowing.

"That's not a very polite response for someone who has been sheltering you for the past few days."

 _Tsk. Sheltering? I have taken nothing from you. It's not like I want to be under your care anyways. I was only sticking around for Sebastian._

I rolled my eyes and turned my head away from him. I heard him cough and I glanced at him sideways.

"Recently, there has been multiple cases of children disappearing and the Queen gave me the job of finding where they are and returning them," he said, seemingly expecting me to understand what was going on.

"So?"

"So, I need you and Sebastian's help."

I scoffed and turned around, facing him directly.

"What makes you think I'm going to help?"

"Well, it seems you know that my butler is not a human. You have also seen the insides of this mansion as well as witnessed the strengths of my servants. I can't have you blabbering my secrets out there."

"Please. Don't flatter yourself. As if I would waste my time and breath on you."

He gave a small laugh.

"Or I could always just have Sebastian hunt you down. You know he's a demon and quite a powerful one at that. If I give the order, he will go after you."

I involuntarily shivered. I had no doubt he would actually do that.

 _Maybe I can just stick around until his guard drops then I get outta here._

"Don't even think about it," Sebastian responded, as if he read my thoughts.

My shoulders slumped because once again, I was trapped. I sighed and asked,"fine. I will help you. What's the job?"

* * *

 **I literally wrote this at 11:00pm. I don't like missing deadlines or being late so since I promised you guys I would update on Mondays and Thursdays and I had the ability to write this, I finished it! If you did not read my note in the beginning, I may or may not update on Monday. I have two finals that day so I would either be studying or taking the tests. I hope you understand!**

 **James Birdsong: thanks man**

 **promocat: I'm sorry I have no idea what you said :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Howdy! Hello! Ni hao! Hola! What's up? I should be studying for my math final on Monday but honestly, who wants to review improper integrals or whether an infinite series diverges, converges conditionally, or converges absolutely when I could be writing a story? Just kidding haha I have been studying on and off for the whole day so I'm writing now as my end of the day relaxation therapy. So for all you students out there, don't blow off studying and homework for fanfic! It may be interesting for a short period of time but grades are important too, okay? You need good grades in high school to get into college, and you need good grades in college to apply for graduate school or get decent jobs, and you are more likely to get a better paying job with a college degree than without so grades kind of decide what kind of future you will live. Yes I know there are things called luck and I also know there are things called life and neither works together sometimes but I just listed the "safest" route. No hating on me or education, alright?**

 **Anyways, I have something to confess...I don't know where the story is going. I have been thinking about it a lot and I can't figure out what kind of powers Sterling should have. The weird thing for me is that when I'm writing these chapters, I don't feel like I'm creating the story. I'm more just writing it down. You get it? The stories have certain directions they have to go in, and I'm just following the flow and logic of the story as opposed to me creating it out of thin air. For example, when Sterling ran into Mey-Rin, I didn't add the part where she goes after Sterling until after I completed most of the chapter and was reading it through. I realized there's no way she would have let a stranger loose in the mansion and that's when I added in the part about Mey-Rin running after Sterling and, eventually, Sterling running into her. It's weird, I know. Oh whale. I'll just see what happens haha #wingingit**

 ***PSA* I probably won't be updating on Thursday since I have a final that day and another the day after that but I'll see what I can do!**

 **As always, I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. But I do own Sterling and events that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

The bo-chan proceeded to explain the situation. Children were being kidnapped around the areas where a certain circus called Noah's Ark Circus had toured. The Queen ordered him to find out what happened to the children and bring them back to safety.

"Okay, just a recap. There's a seemingly normal circus called the Noah's Ark circus that has been touring England and children from areas where they performed disappeared?"

"Yes," the bo-chan responded.

"How do you know that the circus is responsible? And why would the Queen directly order you to deal with it?"

"I don't know for sure, but with the Queen's orders and the coincidence that only children from the area they toured have disappeared, I have no choice but to investigate further."

"How exactly do I fit into the big picture?"

"For now, you just sit tight and recover. Once I make a plan, I will let you know. It's obvious you're not human so you'll probably be useful in the future."

"Useful? So you want me to just sit here and do nothing? I'm not your tool, you know. You can't just summon and dismiss me whenever you wish. And you haven't answered my question yet."

The bo-chan gave a sigh of exasperation and looked at me, as if reminding me the reason I agreed to help him in the first place. I glanced at Sebastian and remembered his threat. Then I turned my eyes back at him and glared.

"Oh COME ON!" I complained,throwing my arms up," you don't really expect me to just wait around for something to happen? If there's one thing you should know, it's that I absolutely loath being in one place for long periods of time."

"No," his tender yet stern voice left no room for argument.

"Please? Pretty please, bo-chan?" I tried to look as sad as possible.

His eyes widened in shock and a rosy blush spread across his face.

"What did you just call me?"

"Hmm? I called you bo-chan. Because that's what people have been calling you here...Is that wrong?"

He coughed and cleared his throat while looking down. He scratched his head and looked back up.

"Ahem..no it's not entirely incorrect."

"My, my. My lord, are you flustered?" Sebastian teasingly questioned the bo-chan.

"Shut up! I don't know what you're talking about," bo-chan snapped back at the butler. Then he turned his attention back to me.

"Actually, my name is Ciel Phantomhive. I'm an Earl, just as my predecessors were, I guard the underworld, punishing anyone who breaks rules. I serve in the shadow and assist the Queen whenever she needs. But, you can just call me Ciel. And what should I call you, miss?"

"My name is Sterling!"

I beamed and reached my right arm towards him for a handshake. He blushed again and grabbed my hand.

 _Hmm. His handshake isn't flimsy and is relatively secure. That's a decent handshake...But his hand is so small!_

"Miss Sterling, what exactly are you?" Sebastian asked, as he studied his master's amusing reaction.

"Please just call me Sterling, Sebastian. I think we're on an intimate enough term for you to address me by just my name," I responded with a smirk," after all, we did spend a night together on the same bed."

"You were on such intimate terms with her, Sebastian?" Ciel exclaimed.

"Please do not raise your voice, bo-chan. Do you remember the cat from your room this morning?

"Uh, yes but what has that got to...-"

"Miss Sterling here was that cat."

Ciel took a moment to register what Sebastian said. Then he turned his head to take a look at me.

"Now that you mention it, her hair is the same as that cat...and those eyes too."

Ciel sat up and leaned closer to the bed to take a better look. His eyes traced from my hair, to my eyes, nose, lips, face shape, and further down. Suddenly, his face flushed a deep scarlet red and he turned his eyes away.

"What's the matter?"

"Um, your...your dress," Ciel managed to choke out.

"What about my dress?"

I looked down and saw that the neckline of my dress was dangerously low and the dress itself was slightly transparent.

 _Shit, this must have happened because I hit my head. My energy hasn't been fully recharged so my dress is disintegrating._

I laughed sheepishly and ran my hand through my hair.

"Oops! It seems I haven't been fully recharged."

That caught Sebastian's interest," recharged?"

"Yeah. And answering your question, Ciel," I addressed the boy who was still red in the ears," my official name is Argenymph, which literally translate to Argentum Nymph. Argentum is silver in Greek. So I'm the Silver Nymph. I don't need to eat but for me to be functional, I steadily absorb small amounts of energy from my surroundings and when I sleep, that's when I regain my energy the fastest. Basically, sleeping is when I recharge."

"That's fascinating but makes sense. Nymphs are nature beings so they don't rely on physical food sources to sustain their life energy," Sebastian muttered, bringing two fingers to his chin. Then he looked at me with amusement and chuckled.

"You really are intriguing. But I'm sure this isn't the first time you have heard me say that."

"I'm afraid not. Sorry, Sebastian. I didn't want to show you my true form if I could help it because I just wanted to know the mansion, and you, better. And I thought if you found out I wasn't actually a cat, you'd kick me out."

"My, what do you take me for? I may be a demon but I'm also a scholar and not completely heartless. You are part cat, which appeals to my love for cats, and you are also a nymph, which appeals to my curiosity."

I giggled and looked at Sebastian slyly.

"Goodness, Sebastian. It sounds like you're confessing to me."

Ciel cleared his throat before Sebastian could sass me back and interrupted in an irritated tone.

"If you two could stop flirting right in front of me, that'd be great."

"My deepest apologies for my unprofessional speech, my lord."

Sebastian bowed. Then he straightened up, giving me a look that told me this banter was far from over. I felt a pleasant shiver run through my body when I realized I was going to be staying here for a while.

 _Yes! Finally, something fun has come up. It's been way too long since something exciting happened in my life. I can't wait to go crazy._

"Sterling," Ciel commanded, bringing my attention back to him," the circus is performing here in town for the rest of the week. I was planning on seeing them today. Do you think you'll be recovered by this evening for the performance? I wouldn't want that..er...problem to happen while we're in public."

 _He's referring to my dress right? Hehe so cute and innocent._

"Hmmm I'm not entirely sure, but probably. I just need some good sleep and I have time for that. Also, you know you just shook my hand, right?"

I decided to tease him. Since when he first met me, he went on and on about something that I didn't really understand, it's time for me to give him a taste of his own medicine. I smirked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You shook my hand and you could actually feel my hand. I have a corporeal form, Ciel."

"Again, what does that have to do with what we were just talking about?"

I mockingly looked at him and gave a disappointed and long sigh.

"Do I have to explain EVERYTHING? I have a corporeal form. I can't pass through walls. I'm solid. It means I can wear clothes in case my dress hasn't completely regenerated. The dress is just condensed energy that takes on a physical form. I can rearrange its look as I please."

Ciel gave me a sharp glare and turned to Sebastian.

"Sebastian, prepare an appropriate outfit for Sterling."

"Very well, my lord."

Ciel turned his gaze back on me.

"Sebastian will be back with your clothes when it's time and he'll help you get ready for the circus," he stated, before stalking out the room.

I stretched my arms out and looked at Sebastian, who was still standing by the curtains.

"Well, that was fun. Teasing Ciel may become my new hobby hehe."

"I would have to agree but beware, Miss Sterling. He has quite a sharp tongue."

"Call me Sterling, Sebastian. But yeah, yeah, whatever. He may have a sharp tongue but he's still a baby. Plus he's just a boy. It'll be way too easy to tease him."

Sebastian chuckled and walked towards the bed.

"Now, please get some rest. I shall be back to wake you in a few hours."

"But I feel fine..." I complained, pouting.

He walked next to my bed and looked down at my chest area without shame.

"Hmm..are you sure of that, Miss Sterling?"

I rolled my eyes and refused to lie back down. Sebastian leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

"You're still quite exposed. Let me remind me, my eye sight is infinitely better than that of a human. So whatever my master saw, I'm seeing more."

He gently pushed my back down on the bed and tucked me under the comforter.

I glared at him defiantly and muttered under my breath," perv."

"That is not very ladylike, Miss Sterling. And again, that's not the first time I have said those words to you."

"And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Sterling?" I huffed.

He bent down and looked into my eyes. Then he breathed," you're blushing, Sterling."

I grimaced and threw the comforter over my face, hoping that I would somehow smack Sebastian in the face but unfortunately, that didn't happen. I could positively feel Sebastian smirking at me and I stayed under the comforter until I heard the door creak open and click close.

 _Just who does he think he is? Ugh! He was much more gentlemanly when he thought I was just a cat._

I flipped the comforter over again so I could breath and closed my eyes. Then I settled into the softness of the bed and slowly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **Ooops! This chapter turned out kind of long. Oh yeah, a** **nother example of how the story progressed without me making stuff up is as I was writing the beginning of this chapter, I wanted Sterling to wait for Ciel and Sebby to go see the circus and all that before she's involved. But as I wrote, it turned out Sterling had to go along with them because she can't stay in the mansion while those two are outside solving crimes. Seriously. I didn't plan for it to go that way. In fact, I don't plan how the plot goes in either of my stories. I just follow the flow and logic. But...logic will be the death of me. I hope I don't write myself into a dead end.**

 **As Bel-kun would say(from Katekyo Hitman Reborn), "Bye bee!"**

 **P3nnn: Thank you so much! Your review made my day :) I read your fic for Kuroshitsuji and I loved it! You're a great writer and the ideas were interesting...too bad it was super short T-T But it's okay haha. Also, I know what you mean by the tension. When I read about these sexual tensions I scream internally and get way too excited HAHAHA**

 **promocat: Of course Ciel had to make Sterling a pawn: it's his nature! But let's see how the story unfolds ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hiya everyone! It seems like this story is slowly gaining more and more readers! That makes me so happy. And all these reviews just brings me joy. When I first started writing these fanfics I wasn't trying to get readers or followers, rather, I just wanted to write a story I want to experience and wanted to share with the world. But knowing people actually appreciate my stories just makes me...SO FRICKEN HAPPY! You have no idea. When I see someone posted a review, I almost die (I almost get that same feeling as when I'm reading something with high sexual tension..yeah that's how happy this makes me). This is also a creative outlet but anyways, you guys probably don't care about that haha. But just know I appreciate you guys as much as you appreciate me (hopefully) :D**

 **And as always, I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own Sterling and events that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Miss Sterling, it's time to wake up."

 _Hmmm..waking up to Sebastian's voice. I could get used to this._

I kept my eyes closed and stretched in the bed.

"Good evening, Sebastian."

"Good evening, Miss Sterling."

My eyes snapped open and I sat up, my hair falling off my shoulder. Sebastian was standing at the foot of the bed with some clothes and I scowled at him.

"Damn it, Sebastian. How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

"My apologies. I thought it would be inappropriate for me to refer to the guest by her first name."

"In case you haven't realized, I'm not a guest."

"Oh? Then what are you then?"

"I am Sterling. And just that."

Sebastian didn't say anything and put the pile of clothes on the comforter before walking to the side of the bed.

"These are the clothes I have prepared for you. Since you probably do not have a lot of experience with human clothes, I will assist you in putting these on."

"I'm pretty sure I can dress myself," I scoffed, before holding up the first article of clothing.

 _What the heck is this? There are way too many strings. I can't even figure out where it's supposed to go..._

Watching me flip the article around, Sebastian chuckled and said," that's a corset."

"A corset?"

"It is worn by ladies to help keep their figures in shape and thus, make them more desirable to men. Quite a nuisance in my opinion but it's part of the dress code here so you have to put it on."

"How am I supposed to put this on?"

"Like I mentioned earlier, you will need my assistance. Now can you make your dress disappear?"

I gaped at him.

"No! Why do I need to be naked?"

Sebastian gave me an almost creepy smile and said," the corset is worn underneath the dress and trust me when I say you would not want to have anything on underneath it."

 _I didn't know the societal dress code was so annoying. But since I need to try to blend in, I supposed I'll just have to look like a human._

"Very well then. I will make the top of the dress disappear but you have to stand behind me."

"Very well. Now that we have an understanding, please get up. The circus will be starting soon and if we waste anymore time, bo-chan will be angry."

I got out of the bed and walked towards the wall on the right of the bed, which is also the wall with the door. Then he told me to put my arms up and I dissipated the top of my dress.

"That reminds me, why exactly are you serving as a butler to Ciel? He's just a human."

I looked down and saw Sebastian's skillful hands wrap the white thing with a bunch of ribbons around my torso.

"He is no ordinary human. He is my master and he has something I want."

I felt Sebastian tugging at the ribbons behind me and I shivered a little.

"Getting cold," he said, leaning in to the base of my neck,"Sterling?"

I was about to turn around to punch him in the face when I felt all the air pushed out of my body.

"Ugh..wha..what are you doing," I panted.

"Putting on the corset. I never said this would be comfortable."

"Ahh screw this! Can't I just wear the outfit without putting on a corset?" I huffed, still trying to catch a breath while the corset squeezed my body.

"My apologies but I don't think that will be possible."

He pulled the ribbons harder and I almost collapsed from the sheer pressure on my torso. I felt him give another pull and I tried to brace again, but to no avail. Sebastian was simply too strong. I fell backwards and he caught me. I struggled to stand up but when I did, I turned to face him. Sebastian had a smile on his face. An almost sadistic smile. I grimaced, feeling the intense and continual pressure on my body.

"Now that the hard part's over, I shall help you into the rest of the outfit. I presume you will take care of the other undergarments yourself? Or do I need to put those on for you too?"

"No, thank you!" I exclaimed.

Sebastian went to the bed and brought another mass of ruffly white clothe. He held it up by the shoulders and down flowed a beautiful white satin dress. The dress had silver accents and long flowy sleeves. As soon as he held up the dress, I fell in love.

"I brought you a dress with long sleeves to hide as much of you skin as possible. In case you have forgotten, humans don't typically have silver skin."

"Oh right...I have silver skin. Haha."

He glanced down at my chest again when he handed the dress to me. I glared at him.

"Hmm..I have no confidence that you will fill the dress in the chest area but I can adjust the dress as needed."

"Excuse me! That was just rude! And inappropriate."

"Goodness gracious. I didn't mean to offend you. I was merely stating the truth," Sebastian said, stifling a laugh.

"Go to hell!"

"I won't until I get my long-awaited meal."

I slipped on the dress from the bottom and pulled it down. Then I tugged here and there to fit into the dress.

"There! See? This dress fits perfectly! Wait...how do you know my measurements? Also, your meal? Demons eat souls right? So who's soul are you eating?"

"It's quite easy for me to take your measurements, Miss Sterling. I've had quite a few...close...encounters with you."

Sebastian spun me around to check how the dress fit. While he spun me around, I complained.

"Again with the titles! Oh! I know! Ciel is your meal, since that is the only reason for you serving as a butler for him."

Sebastian looked me up and down before taking a step towards me. Once again, he was extremely close.

"I'm going to need something to somewhat cover your face. It's going to be dark so we don't have to worry as much but I still think it'll be the safest if you wore a hat."

He ran his gloved fingers through my long hair, brushing the strands back and revealing my ears. Sebastian's hands tangled with my hair at the back of my skull and he stopped, pulling my face close to his.

"It's a shame to cover up these eyes..."

 _Holy crap! How does he seemed to always get me so excited?!_

I kept looking into his eyes, not wanting to break away, but suddenly, my vision went black. My hands went up to my head and felt something theree.

"This hat perfectly compliments your dress and your hair, Miss Sterling. I would never let someone I dress be unstylish."

I pushed up the rim of the hat and looked at Sebastian.

"How the hell am I going to be able to see anything with this thing on my head?"

"You can simply lift up the rim once we're inside. Everyone will be too engrossed in the performance to look around. But keep it tilted and cover your face before we get inside."

"I feel like a walking circus," I grumbled, trying to balance the massive weight on my head and walking around restrained.

"Ah. This reminds me. Please take a seat on the bed, Miss Sterling."

"Oh, what now?"

"You have to wear shoes."

"But the dress is long enough to hide my feet!" I protested.

"My apologies, but this is the dress code and you'll have to go along with it."

"But..."

"Please hurry. The show is starting soon."

I glared at him for what seemed to be the millionth time that day and stomped to the bed. I flopped down on the bed in a huff and Sebastian chuckled.

"My, we're going to have to give you lessons on how to be a lady."

He knelt down in front of me and pulled out a box out of thin air and opened it to reveal a pair of white satin heels, also matching the dress.

"You don't usually wear shoes, do you?"

"Obviously."

I pulled up my dress to reveal my feet. Then, he took my foot one by one and put slipped on the heels, Cinderella style. The shoes had satin ribbons matching the dress and Sebastian proceeded to tie them into perfect bows. Then he stood up.

"You are ready now, Miss Sterling."

I stood up, trying to balance my body. I never wore shoes, let along heels.

 _How did people walk in these?_

I was about to take a step when Sebastian offered me one of his arms. Despite his teasing manner, sometimes, only sometimes, he could be nice. I grabbed his arm and tried walking in my new shoes.

"You look like a newborn giraffe," he mocked.

"Shut up, will you?" I snapped, still focusing on my feet.

"You need to keep your head up, shoulder back, and not look at the ground when you walk."

"Easy for you to say! I don't normally wear all this crap."

Sebastian sighed and put his fingers to his forehead.

"It seems you won't be able to walk by yourself. I will have to escort you."

As much as he annoyed me, I had no right to refuse him. I could barely walk with Sebastian's help. I don't even want to think about walking without him.

"Fine."

He smiled and gestured to the door.

"Shall we go?"

I swallowed and nodded my head, almost losing my hat in the process.

He led my down the corridor to Ciel's office and knocked. Then he opened the door and we entered Ciel's room. Ciel was sitting at the great wooden desk reading some documents and he looked up when he heard us enter. His eyes widened for a moment before a slight blush spread across his cheeks.

 _Aww Ciel is so adorable!_

"You look..nice, Sterling."

"Why, thank you, bo-chan."

He looked away awkwardly and cleared his throat.

"I see you have finished prepping Sterling. Is the carriage here?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Okay then. Let's go."

We all head out of the office and down the stairs. Once we reached the first floor, I saw Mey-Rin, Finni, and two other men with them. One of them was slightly older and scruffy-looking with a cigarette hanging out his mouth and the other was an...an old man? He had a monocle but looked significantly smaller than the other servants.

 _Weird._ _But interesting. But seriously weird..._

"Have a safe trip, bo-chan! Where are you headed off too?" Finni asked cheerfully.

"We're going to see the circus." Ciel responded, sounding completely opposite of Finni's cheerful tone.

"Wow, a circus? I've always wanted to go see one! I love animals...Hmm? Who is this lady?"

This time, Sebastian was the one who answered the question.

"Everyone, this is Sterling. She will be staying at the manor for a little while."

"Wooow, she's beautiful! Her skin almost glows. Wait, I think her skin IS glowing..." Finni walked towards me, seemingly captivated by my unique exterior. As he walked towards me, I felt an overwhelming sensation come over me. It was so intense I had to lean on Sebastian to stay standing.

"Miss Sterling, are you alright?" Sebastian asked, worry lacing his words.

"I'm..I'm fine. Excuse me," I pushed against Sebastian's stable arm and stood back up. I looked around, trying to feel who this sensation was coming from, but realized it came from Finni. By now, he was standing right in front of me, admiring my silver skin. He made eye contact with me and gave me one of the brightest smiles I have ever seen. But the emotion I felt from him was far from that expression.

 _What on earth happened to him?_

"I'm -"

"Finni, I know." I responded, plastering on a smile. I stuck out my free arm and he seemed hesitant to grab my hand.

"Miss Sterling! Don't shake his hand! Finni is ridiculously strong!" Mey-Rin warned.

I smiled at her," don't worry. I can take it." I turned my gaze back to Finni and urged him with my eyes to shake my hand. He blushed a little and grabbed my hand.

* * *

 **WOOOT! Sterling is gonna go to the circus! I'm really excited to see how the story turns out. Whenever I read fanfics and the authors somehow incorporate their ideas with the original ideas of Kuroshitsuji, I get impressed at how these stories mix. It's amazing! All these "parallel" universes are just so fascinating. Sorry for the cliffhanger. I didn't intend to leave it there but again, it seems like the story has a mind of its own. I hope you enjoyed and have a great day!**

 **By the way, the dress I referenced was this GORGEOUS white and ruffly victorian dress but unfortunately, I can't seem to link the url here so sorry :( As for the hat, shoes, and corset, I also googled victorian shoes/victorian hat/victorian corset so if you want an idea of what it looks like, google is your best friend! In case you didn't know, I actually research about the details I put in the stories. I look back at Kuroshitsuji episodes or google. So you can trust that what I'm writing about is correct. Most of the time. I think. Haha**

 **EddingsFan: Sorry I got your glasses all fogged up. From here on, it's only going to get steamier so you should read the story with a cloth. But read at your own risk xD And I'm soooooo happy you like this story! I bet there are tons of cat fanfics. I feel so special :D**

 **P3nnn: I'm really glad you feel the tension HAHA Honestly, I have never personally experienced these things but I've watched enough anime, kdrama, and read enough manga and interactive romance apps to somehow simulate the tension. Your reviews always make me so happy! I don't plan on stopping anytime soon with my story so don't worry! And I'm waiting on your story...hope you update soon! Good luck :)**

 **Artist-kun: Thanks man. I know what you mean. When I read fanfics, a lot of time I find myself thinking,"this character would NEVER do/say this!" That's why I've been doing my best to keep the characters in..well.. character. Anyways, glad you like Sterling's name!**


	8. Chapter 8

**WOOHOO! I'm finally done with my first quarter of college! I'm hoping it went okay...anyways, I am on full fanfic writing mode right now for the next 2-3 weeks to hopefully, there will be lots and lots of updates! I have been reading a fanfic recently and I feel inadequate when I read back on my work. But it's okay, I still love my stories. My writing style is a lot more upbeat and lighthearted so it would be weird to compare it to someone whose writing style is more serious. Anyways, just a little piece of my thought. Let me know what you think! If I haven't mentioned this yet, I ABSOLUTELY love reading your reviews. I enjoy reading about your thoughts and interacting with y'all. I think reviews are the best part of writing stories. But then again, when I see someone posted a review, I get really nervous because I'm not sure if it's going to be good or bad. BUUUTTTT, Enough babbling!**

 **Oh right. It made me really uncomfortable (well, more jelly) when Sebastian seduced Beast so I'll see what I can do to alter what happened.**

 **As always, I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own Sterling and events that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

The moment Finni grabbed my hand, I let out a gasp. Images were flooding into my brain and I gasped at the horror of what I was seeing. People in white lab coats encroaching on me with big needles, emotionless women shoving tubes down my throat, and complete and utter darkness in the stone prison. The only ray of light I saw was coming from the only window in this cruel and frozen jail. How I longed to just fly out of this place through the window...

 _What am I seeing? A past memory?_

I felt someone shaking me and the images began to blur together. Soon, they dissipated and I found myself looking at Sebastian's face. His jet black hair was waving back and forth and I realized the someone shaking me was him. I shook my head and snapped out of it and let out a shaky breath.

"Sebastian? What happened?"

"You shook Finni's hand and you just froze."

"I did?"

Sebastian released me and hooked my left arm through his right arm. I looked and saw that everyone had gathered around me with eyes of concern. Finni had tears swimming around his eyes and he apologized.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Sterling! I hope I didn't hurt you. Why do I always mess everything up?"

I gave him a smile and told him not to worry about it.

"Finni, I'm fine. You see me? I'm still standing here so there's nothing to worry about! Sorry for worrying everyone. I assure you I'm fine."

I turned to Ciel, seeing that despite his impatience, he had kept quiet.

"Ciel, I'm fine. Shouldn't we be leaving soon?"

"Yes. We have to go or else we'll miss the circus. Sebastian, let's go."

Sebastian gave a bow and addressed the rest of the staff.

"We'll be leaving now. Please try not to destroy the manor."

We walked out the door, which the tiny old man closed, and approached the carriage. I got in the carriage first and sat down. Then I realized Ciel and Sebastian were still standing outside.

**Outside the carriage**

"Sebastian, keep an eye on Sterling. I'm not sure what happened but when she touched Finni, her body started glowing and Finni passed out. I want to find out what happened."

"Yes, my lord."

Ciel climbed into the carriage and Sebastian followed behind, shutting the door. The carriage began moving and the two of them were silent. Not able to stand the silence, I started speaking.

"Hey Ciel, what were you guys doing outside the carriage?"

He looked at me and responded.

"Don't worry about it."

I pouted and stared outside the windows, knowing that the rest of the ride would probably be in silence.

We eventually arrived outside the circus and I was in awe at the sheer size of the tent.

"Woah! That tent is HUGE!" I pointed excitedly.

"It's just a tent. What are you getting so excited for?" Ciel dismissed my excitement and began strolling towards the tent.

"Doesn't he know how to have any fun?" I mumbled under my breath as I watched the young master's back.

"I'm afraid bo-chan doesn't know what fun is," Sebastian commented as he stood next to me.

I somehow stumbled through the ticket booth and entered the tent with Sebastian as my walking stick. We found seats near the front of the stage and I flopped down, not being able to handle standing with the massive weight and heels anymore. I noticed some ladies around me gave me disapproving glances but I was so exhausted I didn't care. Sebastian sat between me and Ciel and soon, the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone on a young man with bright orange hair. He introduced himself as Joker and gestured with his hands as spoke.

"What's that on his hand?" I whispered to Sebastian.

"I believe he has a prosthetic hand."

"Prosthetic?"

"Essentially a fake hand."

"Ohh."

I turned my eyes back to the stage. In the two to three hours to come, I saw countless performances that seemed so impossible I had to close my eyes because I was sure the performers would die. From a beautiful white lady walking on tightropes way up in the air to a man who could control snakes as he pleased, I was thoroughly impressed.

"Now, for the last act of the day, I bring yee the famous tamer of wild cats, Beast!"

The woman in the spotlight wore an extremely skimpy outfit. Her full breasts seemed like they were going to pop out her top and she was wearing fishnet gloves and leggings with an extremely short black skirt and had some red clothes draped on her shapely hips. The tiger lied down on the ground obediently and the woman named Beast put one of her foot on the poor tiger and stretched out her whip as if to show dominance.

Joker continued on,"We would love to have some audience interaction. Are there any volunteers?"

Before the man finished his sentence, Sebastian shot up.

"Ah this gent in the tailcoat sure seems eager. Please come up on stage."

Sebastian stood staring at the stage and Joker urged him.

"Step right up, sir."

He walked down the stairs and easily hopped over the barrier between the guests and the performers.

"Now, if you'll lie down here..," Joker said, gesturing at the ground in front of him. Sebastian completely ignore Joker and walked right in front of the tiger. Everyone held his/her breath as Sebastian knelt down in front of the tiger. Then, he cupped the tiger's face and began gushing.

"My, what lovely round eyes you have. Soft ears...I've never seen such vivid stripes! They're adorable."

I looked over at Ciel to see his face draining of color. He hissed," Shit! I forgot tigers are cats."

Seeing him panic, I stifled a laugh and turned my eyes back on Sebastian. He was rubbing the tiger's cheeks and continued lavishing compliments while everyone present seemed to be at a loss at how to react to this situation. Sebastian picked up a paw and began squeezing it.

"Oh dear, your claws have gotten a bit too long. We'll have to groom them. And your paw pads are very full and plump. Very attractive!"

Ciel buried his face into his hands in embarrassment while the people around us pointed and whispered. Suddenly, the tiger chomped down on Sebastian's head and everyone screamed. Beast shouted at the tiger to spit out the man and thrashed out with her whip. Despite having his face inside a tiger's mouth, Sebastian caught the whip in his hand easily before turning around and chastising Beast.

"She hasn't done anything wrong. I was so overcome by her charm that I behaved rudely, that's all. And.."

He turned around to face the performers.

"Indiscriminate whipping isn't enough to train her properly."

Beast looked like she was going to have a heart attack at being called out on in front of the audience. But before anything else happened, the tiger jumped up and chomped down on Sebastian's head and everyone screamed. Once again, Beast began yelling at the tiger.

"Betty! Spit him out this instance! He's dirty!"

Meanwhile, Sebastian continued coddling the tiger. He smiled while petting the tiger again after he took his head out of Betty's jaws.

"Goodness, aren't you a tomboy, my dear?"

After that unexpected last performance, we walked out of the tent. The moment we were outside, Ciel began scolding Sebastian, who was practically sparkling.

"I didn't tell you to go THAT far!"

"My apologies, my lord. I've lived many years but cats are such whimsical creatures, I still can't quite read their moods."

"What's the point of attracting unnecessary attention-"

Before Ciel had finished his sentence, he sneezed. He turned his head and glared at Sebastian.

"You know I'm allergic to cats! Stay far back."

Having said that, he stormed off, leaving Sebastian and me. Sebastian gave a sigh and glanced at me.

"I just realized...Miss Sterling, why doesn't bo-chan react to you when you're around him? After all, you are essentially a cat."

"I'm not too sure myself but it probably has something to do with the fact that I'm not a cat right this moment. But like I said, I don't know."

As we conversed, I heard someone call after Sebastian.

"Ah! There yee be. You there, in the tailcoat!"

We turned around to see the ringmaster, Joker, running towards us. He stopped once he reached us and began apologizing.

"I'm so sorry about what happened, sir."

"No, please, I apologize."

 _Heh Sebastian. Being fake gentlemanly as usual._

"You gave me quite a scare! Walking right up to the tiger like that. Are you sure you're alright? We have a doctor on staff. Better get him to look at yee, I reckon. Please comon back."

I shared a look with Sebastian and he looked away and I noticed Ciel had hidden between some tents. He nodded at Sebastian. Sebastian turned back to Joker with a closed-eye smile and responded.

"Don't mind if I do."

"Um, can I come along too? I'm really worried about my dear Sebastian."

I tipped my head slightly so Joker wouldn't see my face then I sniffed and threw my arms around Sebastian.

"Are yee his lover? Then, of course. Please follow me."

We followed Joker threw multiple tents and performers resting or taking off their makeup. Walking a few steps behind Joker, Sebastian glanced at me and chuckled quietly.

"My dear Sebastian? Is that how you feel about me?"

"I had to do something so I can come with you. After all, having two pairs of eyes may come in handy."

"I must admit I was a little surprised at your sudden contact, but I can't say I didn't enjoy that."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Miss Sterling, I never jest."

I was about to call him out on calling me Miss Sterling when I gave a defeated sigh. There's no way I could make him do things unless he wanted to. We continued following Joker and eventually, we came upon a tent. Joker lifted the flap and we followed him to see a couple performers resting, the man who threw knives, or Dagger, and a bespectacled man with wavy chin-length hair in a wheelchair.

"There he is. Doc!"

Joker called out to the man in the wheelchair and he turned around.

"Hey Joker. Is your hand acting up again?"

"Naw, today I've got someone else-"

Before he finished, Dagger gave a sound of surprise and stood up, pointing at Sebastian.

"Ah! It's you! You're the one who was bitten by Betty!"

Hearing this, the Doc began to panic.

"Betty?! That's terrible. We've got to get you to the infirmary!"

"It was just an affectionate nip," Sebastian responded, sparkling again, after the Doc checked his head only to discovered there were no wounds.

"Well I'm just glad you're alright."

"Too true! I was afread the troupe leader'd kill me for letting a customer get hurt." Joker butted in to the conversation.

Meanwhile, I just stood behind Sebastian and tried to blend in by being quiet. I glanced around the tent and realized that I didn't sense any children energies here.

 _That's odd. I thought this circus was kidnapping large numbers of children? Also, they seem so nice..I wonder if they were really the ones who are kidnapping kids._

Sebastian turned around and asked Joker," You're not the leader?"

"I'm more or less the hired replacement. The real one's scary."

Dagger walked next to Joker and responded," Don't blame me if you get yelled at for that!"

The two men began laughing as if they got along really well. Then, someone walked into the tent.

"Doc, would you take a look at my leg?"

I glanced behind me and saw the voluptuous Beast had entered. The moment she walked in, Dagger approached her and began spewing something about how a red thread of fate connected them but obviously, she did not return his feelings. Beast saw Sebastian and immediately called him out for ruining her show. The Doc intervened and scolded her for yelling at a guest and not being professional enough to handle Betty. The sound began escalating when Joker cut in.

"Now, Doc, please don't yell in front of our guest."

Dagger cut in too.

"That's right, please just forget this and check Miss's leg."

"You'll be retraining Betty after this, Beast. Is that clear?" The Doc questioned, sounding more like a father than a doctor. Beast responded with a grumpy "yeah."

"Alright then. Let me see your prosthesis."

With this, Beast went to another table and sat down. The Doc rolled his wheelchair over to her.

"Prosthesis?" I asked, following Doc with my eyes.

"We're bit of an irregular bunch here. We're a gathering place for people with certain problems." Joker explained. "I'm missing an arm myself but Doc got me this fine replacement."

Sebastian stood up and approached Beast. He knelt down and began feeling the fake leg while the Doc explained with pride at the prosthesis's lightness and durability. Soon, I gave a quiet gasp and bit my lips. Sebastian had entered a dangerous zone. His face was right between Beast's legs and he seemed to notice something on her inner thigh.

"Hmm? What's this seal?"

* * *

 **Sorry I'm updating so late! Hopefully it won't happen again. But like I said earlier, I didn't want to admit to the fact that Sebby slept with that woman but I don't know how I can avoid that..DAMMIT.**

 **Eddingsfan: You're so sweet! I hope you had a great day too (hopefully it wasn't ruined because of my late update..). I also really like Finnigan but I'm not sure if he's my favorite (but he's def one of my favs!).**

 **promocat: You were close...but not quite ;)**

 **Artist-kun: Heels aren't too bad as long as the heel itself isn't super skinny or tall but I know what you mean. Some people walk like new born giraffes.**

 **Kiseki: I'm glad you like it! I hope you feel better :) Drink lots of water and get enough sleep!**

 **firestarandwolves: I've been doing some cliffhangers, be it willingly or unwillingly. But like how Sebastian said the longer he waits to eat Ciel's soul, the better it's going to taste, cliffhangers will make you like this story more ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hiya! I'm going to try to stick to the plot but I might be changing things here and there.**

 **By the way, would you guys rather I had some sequel chapters showing the life of Sterling and Sebastian in the future or would you rather I wrote about it as a holiday special? As of now, I can't think of a way to make a holiday special for this story so..yeah! Let me know :)**

 **I don't own Kurositsuji or any of its characters. I do own the characters and events that weren't seen/didn't happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

Beast had blushed a deep scarlet red and Joker stood there, dumbfounded, while Dagger had also blushed deeply and had a bloody nose.

"What are you doing, you pervert?!"

She brought her fake leg high up in the air and brought it down in an attempt to hurt Sebastian but he leaped out of the way easily.

"Oh, my apologies. You didn't strike me as modest enough to be embarrassed by such trifles."

I saw Beast's face flush a even darker red before she pulled out her whip and began attack Sebastian. She had destroyed half the tent before the Doc spoke up.

"Oi, Beast, stop that!" He turned around to the two men standing behind him.

"You two, stop her-"

"How _dare_ you lay a hand on my lady's fair and tender skin! Even _I_ haven't touched it yet!"

I clumsily dodged the knives Dagger threw at Sebastian and chuckled a little.

"He's gone berserk..." I muttered to myself, moving out of the way from the mess and took a seat on one of the benches in the tent.

Sebastian agilely avoided all the whip slashes and the knives thrown at him and gracefully backflipped onto one of the metal supports of the tent.

"I didn't actually touch her skin...but I do seemed to have touched a nerve."

The Doc looked between Sebastian and the performers and tried to alleviate the tension.

"Dagger, stop! You'll shred the tent!"

"Miss Beast's honor is more important than the tent!"

 _Poor guy. She has absolutely zero feelings for him yet he's going to such lengths for her..._

As he yelled out, Dagger left six knives fly from his hands towards Sebastian. He easily caught all the knives in flashy movements before giving the performers a little sly smirk.

"No way..." Dagger breathed out in disbelief while Joker just gave a little whistle.

Seeing at Sebastian's impressive skills and her colleagues' reaction towards the man, Beast lets her whip fly once more.

"Don't get cocky!"

But the whip never went anywhere near Sebastian. Joker had intervened, catching the whip on his walking cane. He gracefully flipped through the air and at the same time, I saw him give Beast a dangerous look, causing her to involuntarily swallow. Joker landed and out pop some beautiful flower from his cane.

"Tada! All right, that's enough! Here Beast, don't be so scratchy."

"But he-"

"Now, now. It's such a beautiful leg, I can understand why he'd want to touch it. Take these flowers and cheer up."

Joker had gone behind Beast and was provocatively stroking her prosthetic up and down. She blushed but seemed all too willing to let him feel her up. She realized where she was and pushed Joker away in a huff of breath and walked away. Joker turned around and approached Sebastian.

"That was might athletic, sir. I reckon I'd hire yee!"

"Is that true?" Sebastian suddenly invaded Joker's facial space. He jerked back in surprise.

"Actually, my current master is so spoiled, I'm quite disgusted with him. Also, he did not approve of my relationship with my lover and forbade me to see her. He does everything he can to keep me away from her."

He gestured towards me and I took the cue and nodded my head, while trying to keep the hat on.

Joker looked at me and questioned.

"'Master'? Be yee a servant then? I took yee for a gentry, dressed up so fine.."

"Me, a gentry? Hardly. I am just one hell of a butler."

I sighed inaudibly, having heard that phrase before. Why can't he come up with something better? It's getting ridiculous, hearing that all the time.

"Now, is what you said true? If so, I'd very much like to join you."

"Yee aren't having me on, are yee?" Joker questioned, in a bit of a daze.

"I never joke." Sebastian responded with a perfectly straight face.

The Joked paused before started laughing. He walked up to Sebastian and patted him on the shoulders.

"Lord, that's funny! Alright, me 'andsome. Sure! Join us anytime!"

Of course, the other performers had a problem with that.

"Wait Joker! You can't just decide that!" Beast protested.

Joker put up his hand in defense," But he's got such talent..."

"Pardon me.." Sebastian cut in. "Could my darling join too?"

He gestured towards me once again and I tried to stand up, only to briefly lose my balance. My hat toppled off my head and fell to the floor with a deep _thud_. Since the hat was the only thing keeping my hair in check, it cascaded down in a white-silver waterfall. I heard a gasp and noticed everyone in the tent was staring at me. I felt a little embarrassed at having so many eyes on me and also felt a little shy at suddenly having them see my face. I bowed and watched my hair fall over my shoulders.

"I'm Sterling. I apologize for introducing myself so late." I glanced at Sebastian, still playing the role of his lover. "I was so worried about my sweetheart here that I didn't think about introducing myself."

"But you seemed pretty calm the whole time..." The Doc muttered.

I turned towards him and gave him my sad kitty eyes.

"Did you say something, Doc?"

He flushed a little and and brought one hand behind his neck.

"Ahh, it's nothing."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked down to see it was Joker's prosthetic hand. He swirled me around.

"Wow, yee skin is beautiful!" He peered into my face, now that the hat wasn't covering it. "And yee eyes...such a unique color..."

I saw Beast behind the Joker glare at me before she turned and left the tent.

 _Interesting...could I assume she has feelings for Joker?_ _Besides, when Sebastian was looking at her leg earlier, he didn't have as much as a hint of blush on his face...which means he's seen more of her than that._

I turned my gaze back on Joker and asked in the sweetest voice I could muster.

"Joker, would you be as kind to let me into the circus too? I am sick of being apart from my Sebastian. His current master makes him work every second of the day and I can never spend any time with him."

"Ah..I'm not sure if I can do that. If yee are like your lover here, then yee should be fine. But I reckon I'll give yee both an entry test. Come back tomorrow and we'll see if yee will be joining the circus!" Joker said, a big smile on his face.

"Then, we will be back tomorrow. Thank you for your help today." Sebastian said, before putting an arm around me as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Ah-" Joker began, as Sebastian lifted the flap on the tent.

"There's no need to show us out. Thank you for today."

I dipped my head and followed Sebastian outside the tent. Once we were outside, we made eye contact and gave each other a little nod. I went the opposite way of Sebastian and made my way back to the carriage, which was waiting just outside the circus enclosure. I opened the carriage door and got in. Ciel stayed silent as I kicked off my shoes and set my hat on the seat next to Ciel. Then I smirked a little at a fun little idea that just popped into my head. I turned into my cat form and wiggle out of the white mass of the dress and corset before grooming myself in the enclosed carriage. Ciel glared at me but that didn't last long. He started sneezing almost immediately and I gave a little meow before hopping outside the carriage. Even after the door closed behind me, I could still hear the young master sneezing.

 _Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe._

I dodged into the dissipating crowd and soon, I came upon the separation between guests and performers. I dodged between the tents and scoped out the general area.

 _There were nine carts and ten tents before the doctor's tents. After the doctor's tents, there were several more tents that had supplies in them._

I walked in the shadows of the tents, as the moon was full that night and its bright light would reflect off my fur. Before long, I came upon a strange line fence that encircled several large, nicer-looking tents. I inspected the line and found that there were thin, almost invisible lines connecting to the rope.

 _Hmm..this must be connected to bells somewhere. This is awfully suspicious. Why do the nicer tents need to be fenced off? I can't feel any children energies here but what could they possibly be hiding?_

As I was about to venture deeper into the forbidden area, I saw Sebastian strolling towards me. His eyes glistened for a moment and as he reached me, he scooped me up in his arms like he did the first day I met him. He smiled down at me as he started walking back to the carriage. I couldn't help but feel a little pinch in my heart. Something about his gentleness when he touches me makes me crave his caresses, although usually he touches me in such a manner only when I'm a cat.

 _But this is the first time he's seen me as a cat since he knew I wasn't a cat. Does he love cats this much or does it mean something else?_

I shook my head, convincing myself that would be absurd. But I heard Sebastian give a low chuckle. I looked up at him and he gave me a knowing smile.

 _Can he read me mind?_

He nodded his head, his jet black hair flowing from the movement. I blushed internally and began struggling to get out of his arm. But knowing I'm not normal feline, Sebastian's arms tightened around me. I wanted to get away from him as fast as I could but how? An idea popped in my head and I immediately turned back to my true form only to find myself in a princess carry.

"Goodness gracious. Did you really wanted to be carried by me so badly?" Sebastian taunted, a smile playing in the corner of his lips.

"No! I turned back so I can get away from you!" I whispered harshly, as I struggled against him.

"Miss Sterling, if you make too big a commotion, everyone will see us."

I froze at his statement and looked around. Indeed, there were still quite a few humans lingering around, purchasing souvenirs or talking to performers. I huffed and crossed my arms in exasperation. I glared up at Sebastian only to see him smirking. I saw his eyes traced down my torso and I looked down.

 _Thank god my dress isn't dissipating again.._

Sebastian gave a quiet chuckle,"There you go, my dear. You are much more charming when you're quiet and not struggling. But then again...watching you struggle and squirm is also quite a nice sight. It's more fun when you're fighting back..."

 _Wow. I knew he was sadistic but not THIS sadistic._

I looked at Sebastian only to see a provocative smile on his face. Just looking at his smile made me feel like I was being undressed. Then, I had another thought. I suddenly turned back into a cat and slipped through his arms and I took off, dodging the lingering guests. I heard Sebastian mutter.

"My, aren't you a rebellious thing."

I eventually ended back at the carriage and turned to my true form. I was about to open the door when the door opened itself.

"You're late."

I looked to see Ciel sitting inside, still holding a handkerchief to his nose and Sebastian, who was sitting on the opposite of him. I couldn't help but snicker seeing Ciel's red puffy eyes.

"Hey Ciel, you look like you were just crying. Is anything the matter? Do you need to talk about your feelings?"

He glared at me before saying,"Just get inside so I can go home."

"Yes, my lord." I responded, with a bow and a slight smirk on my face. I hopped into the carriage and Ciel tapped the roof with his cane and we began to move.

* * *

Before long, we arrived at the townhouse in London, seeing as we were going to be in town for a while. The moment Sebastian opened the door, a dark skinned guy with purple hair ran to us and threw his arms around Ciel.

"Ciel! I'm so glad you're here! I've been waiting and waiting!"

Followed behind him was another dark skinned man with white cloth over his white hair. Both of them were wearing exotic outfits and the white haired man greeted us.

"Welcome home, Lord Phantomhive and Sebastian-dono. Oh? Who is this lady here?"

Sebastian introduced me.

"This is Miss Sterling. She will be staying with us for a while."

The white haired man pressed his right hand to his heart and gave a slight bow.

"Namaste. My name is Agni and this is the 26th son of the Bengal king, Soma."

"You're a prince?"

The prince gave me a friendly smile before he got a good look at me.

"Wow, Sterling, your skin is silver!"

I chuckled a little at the innocent comment by Soma. He seemed to have the body of an adult yet his actions betray his naïveté.

"Yes, I'm silver."

Soma picked up my arm and began scrutinizing my skin in all different angles. Used to this kind of curiosity, I let him look his fill. After all, I bet he hasn't met anyone like me in his life. In the corner of my eye, I saw Ciel tiredly climbing the stairs with Sebastian following close behind..

"Oh Ciel! Are you going to bed already?"

He paused and both of them turned around.

"When that idiot is done looking at you, I want you to come to my room."

Saying that, Ciel continued to trudge up the stairs. I made eye contact with Sebastian and saw an unfathomable glint in his red orbs. At this point, Soma had began playing with my hair, still in awe at the color and the texture. I glanced at the prince to see what he was doing when I felt a prickling sensation. I looked back at Sebastian but by then, he had disappeared up the stairs.

 _Hmmm...I wonder what that was about._

Soon, after Soma had his fill of observing me, I went upstairs. But as soon as I turned the corner, I ran into Sebastian. I almost bounced off him but his strong arms looped me back in. By this point, I had almost gotten used to his unexpected touchiness so I just lifted my head to see his face. Sebastian held me out at elbows length with his lower arms still on my waist and looked down at me without moving his head. For some reason, I could feel that Sebastian seemed to be upset with me but I wasn't sure why.

"Soma-sama seems to have no sense of private space, doesn't he?"

I narrowed my eyes before responding.

"Um, I could say the same to you."

"My, you are awfully cheeky, aren't you?"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Don't we have somewhere to be? I think Ciel is waiting for our report."

With that, I pushed Sebastian away and he gave no resistance. We started to walk down the hall and my mind wandered. I had stopped giving these things-Sebastian's sudden physical contacts-second thoughts since he always teased me. But I couldn't help but feel his embrace had something to do with the fact Soma had his hands all over me, although it was anything but sexual.

 _Sebastian IS very possessive of Ciel. After all, Ciel is the delicious meal that he has been preparing for a couple years now. As far as I know, he seems to be a possessive demon in general. Maybe he was jealous? But he shouldn't be feeling those things for me. I have nothing to offer him, other than being a cat._

I shrugged my shoulders and soon, we arrived at his room. Sebastian opened the door and we stepped inside.

* * *

"You're doing what?!"

Ciel set down his tea cup angrily.

"Who told you to do this? I didn't order you to join the circus!"

Sebastian gave a little bow with his eyes closed.

"My apologies. I thought given the situation, this would be the best way to proceed. Plus, you are not joining the circus. Miss Sterling and I will be joining the circus and I can assure you, we will be just fine."

"Yeah, Ciel, have you forgotten who we are?" I asked, as I hung one of my arms on Sebastian's shoulder.

He looked between the both of and finally gave a defeated sigh.

"Fine. You two are allowed to infiltrate the circus. But make sure to report to me daily. I expect at least one of you to come get me if you find anything."

I glanced over at Sebastian and we made eye contact. I gave a slight smile before kneeling down at the same time as Sebastian. We spoke in unison.

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

 **Here you have it! Ciel will not be joining the circus but Sebastian and Sterling will! Hehehe I can't wait to see how these two will spend their time together, since there's finally no third wheel. Hope this wasn't disappointing. I felt Sebastian's embrace after Sterling was admired by Soma seemed a bit forced. What do you think? I hope you had a great day or at least this chapter made you a little happier!**

 **Artist-kun: Even Sebastian isn't perfect haha his ultimate weakness seems to be adorable kittens/cats**

 **promocat: I know! I always can't help but laugh whenever Sebastian gets sidetracked by felines xD**

 **P3nnn: I think Sebastian is just one hell of a man, trying to seduce everyone. And no, thank YOU for reading and for all the reviews :) I appreciate it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Helloooooo! I have a question for everyone: has anyone heard of Voltage Inc. or any of the games they've made (I've played Star Crossed Myth, Be My Princess 2, etc)? If you have, please let me know! I feel like the fanbase for these otome games are pretty small in Western countries so I just want to know haha.**

 **Another thing...I'm not using this as an excuse but I recently strained my rotator cuff and I tried swimming again this week but it ended up making it worse. So I actually have a hard time sitting at a desk with my arms up to write the story. My shoulder begins tightening up and is just overly uncomfortable. So now I have to take even more break when I'm writing and I'm just so frustrated T-T**

 **I apologize for any grammar/spelling errors. I will go back and edit but that will have to wait after I upload the next chapter for my other story! Thank you for understanding :)**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. I own characters and scenes not seen in the manga/anime. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sebastian and I left the townhouse early the next day. Right before we left, Ciel made sure to remind us again to keep him updated and to not do anything unnecessary. As we strolled through the empty London streets, I felt utterly at peace. My breath formed beautiful swirls in the chilly air and I could slightly feel Sebastian's body heat emanating next to me. We walked mostly in silence. The only sound I could hear was the clacking of our shoes on the icy stone floor. I glanced around the little shops that decorated the surrounding area and noticed a really cute cake shop and I slowed down as I passed. It was tucked into a corner of a plain street. It had dark wooden doors decorated with one large baby blue bow. Inside the tiny shop were round wooden tables and each table had small rocking chairs decorated with pastel pillows. I could tell from the outside that the cakes inside looked both delicious and cute. Sebastian noticed I slowed down and he glanced at what I was staring at.

"Interested in the cafe, Miss Sterling?"

I felt myself blush in embarrassment and I shook my head. I caught back up with him and asked him where the circus was located. The circus was in a clearing at the edge of the city and about a twenty minute walk from the townhouse. After a little bit, we came upon the edge of the town and could see the large circus tent peaking out above the buildings. I made eye contact with Sebastian and we nodded.

When we arrived inside the enclosure, Joker greeted us with a bright smile.

"Good morning! I almost though yee two weren't coming back. It's good to see you!"

Both of us gave him a little bow and he gestured towards the large tent where we saw the performance last night.

"Come with me and I shall give yee the entry test. Comon!"

We followed him and soon, I found us on the stage inside the tent. Joker explained that since Sebastian had already passed the entry test, I would be tested. He pointed up on one of the high platforms and asked me to do a tightrope walk. I climbed up the platform to see the beautiful Doll, the tightrope walker in all white, waiting for me. She silently tied the safety rope around my waist.

"Good luck," she said quietly.

I gave her a grin and proceeded onto the rope. Even though I was so high up, I had always have exceptionally good balance so I crossed it with no problem.

"Wow she just walked right 'cross that like it was nothing.."

I could hear Joker in awe. Then I heard Sebastian respond.

"Of course. She is my lover after all. It's no surprise she is anything but ordinary."

 _Hehe although we're just pretending, hearing him compliment me does feel kind of good._

I wanted to show off a bit so I untied the safety rope around my waste and dived head first off the three story platform. I heard the performers let out a gasp and I did some impressive flips and twists and landed on my feet in a soft _thud_. There was a moment of silence before everyone erupted into cheers and whoops. I looked up at Sebastian before turning my gaze at Joker. I gave him a bright smile and he walked up to me and patted me on my shoulder.

"Well that just showed yee don't need the entry test. I'm sure no one would complain if I allow this miss to join?"

Joker looked around the group of people surrounding us. Everyone had a bright smile on their face and I could tell they had fully accepted me. The only person who didn't seem happy to see me was Beast, but I'm guessing that's because she feels threatened.

"That was also mighty athletic, miss. When you were doing those flips and twists, your skin and hair caught light and you seemed like a falling diamond! Such bright reflections."

I gave him a little bow before responding.

"Thank you."

I walked next to Sebastian and he put an arm around me shoulders. I could feel several envious stares from the ladies in the crowd and that just made me snuggle up to Sebastian more. He gave a quiet chuckle and I felt his arm pull me against him a little harder.

Joker turned around and walked up to us.

"Now that you have been hired, I need to give yee two nicknames. Hmm, you will be Black," Joker pointed at Sebastian before turning his prosthetic finger at me. "And you wil be...Silver."

I had to hold back a laugh, hearing how simple our nicknames were. But I couldn't really blame them. I mean, the main cast was named Joker, Beast, Dagger, Doc, Snake, and such. I guess I had too high of an expectation in this lot.

"Welcome to the Noah's Arc circus! It's time to practice so do your best!"

With that, Dagger ushered us back to the main tent where countless performers were experimenting with different tricks. Doll walked up to us and spoke quietly.

"Silver, you seem adequate on the tightrope. You will most likely partner up with me but before that, what do you prefer? You too, Black. What do you prefer?"

With that, Sebastian and I ran off into opposite directions and conquered all the tricks that the other performers were trying to achieve. From tightrope walking to partner bungee trapeze, we performed everything with ease. At some point Dagger had entered the tent and he got fired up.

"Man, TWO more bright new stars? I gotta work even harder!"

"Another?" I asked.

Dagger pointed into the other side of the tent. On top of multiple balls of different sizes, was a man in a colorful suit outfit, glasses, and a weird metal pincher thing. I could sense something inhuman about that man. I squinted and noticed slight neon green aura exuding from his figure. I glanced at Sebastian with curiosity and he whispered

"A shinigami."

"No way...! Man am I glad to have happened upon the Phantomhive manor. I'm seeing all sorts of exotics things." I responded with a little jab at Sebastian's ribs. But his response wasn't what I expected. He furrowed his brow and murmured.

"For a shinigami to be around here and, on top of that, for an administrator to go undercover...something extremely odd is going on at this circus."

I looked around the people here but didn't feel any dangerous intent. Everyone looks so intent on doing their best plus Joker and Dagger and the others have also been friendly. What in the world is happening here?

Suddenly, I hear a rush of air and I turned to see the shinigami had fired his odd weapon at Sebastian. Sebastian slightly tilted his head and the pincher portion of the weapon buried itself into the dirt.

"I thought I smelled something vulgar."

The shinigami jumped off from his place on top of the balls to land crouching down with one hand on the ground and the other arm behind his back with his weird weapon. I hate to admit it, but he seemed kind of cool. He stood up and pushed his glasses up with his weapon and I noticed he had a startling green eyes that matched the aura he exuded. He was glaring at Sebastian before he noticed my presence. His eyes widened slightly before going back to his emotionless face. Dagger walked up to the shinigami and patted him on the shoulder then introduced him to us.

"This is the other bright new star, Suit. Ya know, if he wasn't in the circus, he'd make it big as a stand up comedian! He's constantly spewing none sense about shinigamis and souls and what not."

The shinigami glances down at Dagger before pushing his glasses up with his weapon again.

"My name is William T. Spears. I really am a shinigami out to collect souls."

Dagger cracks up and turns to us.

"See? He's a hopeless occult freak hahah!"

The shinigami walks up to us and he glared at Sebastian before turning towards me.

"A nymph?"

I nodded my head and his face softened into a smile.

"It's been a while..."

"Excuse me?"

I looked up into his eyes, confused at what he had just said.

"My apologies. Nice to meet you, I am William T. Spears. And you are?"

"I'm Sterling!"

I reached out my hand and gave him a firm handshake. I was surprised at how familiar his hand felt.

 _That's...weird. I've never met him before but why does he feel so familiar?_

* * *

After practice was over, Joker led us to the back of the circus. He stopped at a particular tent and lifted up the flaps and gestured into it.

"Now I know yee two are lovers but I can't just move people around for the newbies, as promising as yee both are. So Silver, this will be yee tent and yee will be sharing it with Suit. Black, you were lucky someone had just quit so yee will be getting the smaller, single person tent."

I glanced at William and saw his eyebrow twitch when he heard that Sebastian was my lover. I looked at Sebastian and saw a flash of fuchsia in his eyes and I felt an unexplained tensions between Sebastian and William. Despite their gentlemanly demeanor, anyone could feel the pressure between the two man, er, two beings.

"Alright everybody. It's almost time to prepare for tonight performance. You all know what to do so let's make tonight a success!"

Joker exclaimed, perking everyone up. Since newbies generally don't perform, I retreated to my tent to prepare for our plans for tonight and William followed me. The moment the flap closed, he spoke.

"Lovers? That filthy creature is your lover?"

I turned around with a hand on my hip.

"What do you mean filthy? You have been nothing but rude since you saw Sebastian. What's your deal with him? Besides, it's none of your business."

William stared into my eyes and I could see his aura slightly glowing. He pushed up his glasses with his weapon and looked away.

"It's nothing," he sat down on his bunk," but just warning you, its in your best interest to stay as far away from that as you can."

I scoffed and left the tent without another word.

 _Tch. Who does he think he is? Telling me all these things..._ _Looks like I got myself acquainted with another bothersome..being._

I looked around to see if there were anyone around. People were either busy prepping for the show or not paying attention to me. But for safety, I hid between two tents and turned into my cat form. By this time, the sun had went down and the moon had begun rising. I executed the same thing I did the night before and before long, I had arrived at the weird fence surrounding the first tier performers. I slithered under the tent and felt the snakes' energies. They began approaching me, almost menacingly, to ward me off. However, seeing as they are below me, after they reached a certain distance from me, they realized my status and retreated.

 _Hmph. These snakes have no manner._

I continued on and didn't bother checking the first tent since Joker had told us that was Snake's tent. Sebastian and I had discussed this earlier. Originally, he was supposed to search half the tents while I searched the other half for efficiency but he suddenly got pulled into the performance with the shinigami. So the change of plans is for me to search the tents while he performed and stood guard for me.

I entered a random tent and saw the tent was extremely bare. All that was in there was a bed, a mirror and a photo frame. I picked up the fairly old photo and saw that it contained children resembling the first stringers members and a kind-looking man with glasses and a mustache. Since the tent was so bare, I went on to the next tent and could immediately tell its inhabitant was a female. There was a vanity mirror and countless makeup products spread across the table and a magenta colored lamp. I thought back to the first stringers members and recounted them in my head.

 _Joker, Dagger, Beast, Jumbo, Doll, Wendy, Peter, and Snake. The only person who would be so extravagant and into luxury items is Beast._

I continued scanning the tent and turned back to my human form to begn searching through the luggage. I found another photo of a younger Beast and the same man. I scrutinized the photo and saw that the photo was taken in front of an orphanage.

 _What's the relationship between the man and first stringers?_

I sensed Beast coming back and I returned to my cat form and sat on the floor, grooming myself. She opened the flap and gave a little gasp as she focused her eyes on me.

"Oh, it was just a cat. Can't believe I got startled by the thing."

She sighed and took off her shawl. She pulled off her ripped top and rummaged through her chest to find another one. As she put on the outfit, she wondered out loud.

"This is odd though..I thought Snake's pets would have killed anything that got inside the fence? Hmm. How weird."

With that, the Beast left without so much as a glance at me. As soon as Beast left the tent, Sebastian came out from under the bed and dusted himself off.

"I guess you didn't need my help after all."

I turned back into my human form and grabbed the photo out of the chest to hand to Sebastian.

"I came upon another photo in an earlier tent and it had the same man in the picture. Does this look familiar?"

Sebastian looked at the picture and responded.

"I have seen the imprint on the signet ring recently. If I recall correctly it matches the seal on Beast's prosthetic."

"Wow you can even see such fine details. Man, you are just perfect, aren't you?"

"Goodness gracious, Miss Sterling. What are you thinking about on the job?"

I have gotten used to Sebastian's comments by now and I just brushed it off.

"Alright, I'm going to continue searching searching. The only tent I have to search is Joker's. You should head back so they don't become suspicious."

With that, I turned back into a cat and ran to Joker's tent. As soon as I was inside Joker's tent, I turned back into a human. I looked through the chest but couldn't find anything and as I stood up and looked around, I noticed Joker had tucked a letter under his pillow. The letter had already been opened so I pulled out the paper inside to find Ciel's information all listed on that sheet.

 _Hmm..seems like I found something interesting._

* * *

 **WHOOPS. In an hour and a half, this would be my first late publish! Sorry for the wait..I've been a little preoccupied but I hope you don't lose your faith in me! I will always do everything I can to make sure I upload on time! Have a great day :)**

 **P3nnn: You have no idea how happy your reviews make me! I should really be the one thanking you for taking the time to read and give me advice...but I'm really really really glad you are so into the story :)**

 **promocat: yup! Sterling is cheeky and that's one of the best part of writing in her point of view hehe**

 **Kiseki: Thank you! I really hope you're feeling better...I'm glad my stories could make you feel even a little bit happier!**

 **Artist-kun: I'm trying to use this "arc" as a way for Sterling and Sebastian to develop their relationship so that's why Ciel isn't going to play a big role**

 **Purdy Girl101: hehe here you go!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi hi! It's Christmas Eve and I hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday season with your families. If things are not going well, I just hope you will all be happy and safe at the very least :)**

 **On another note, I'm so glad I could avoid the whole Beast and Seb fiasco...Thank goodness *wipes sweat* There's no way I'm giving her the satisfaction of seeing parts of Sebas-chan I didn't get to see HUMPH haha**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters and events not seen in the manga/anime. Enjoy!**

* * *

Before long, the guests had all went home and the everything had been cleaned up. It was lights out and I lied on top of my bunk in the dark to wait for any stray performers to go back to their tent. As soon as I sensed all the energies of the performers were dormant, I sat up and lightly brushed my hair. The moment I sat up, however, William spoke up.

"Out to hang around that abomination?"

I gave a little huff and jumped down from my bunk. I didn't even glance back at him as I prepared to walk out the tent. But suddenly, I felt something enclose around me and pull my backwards. I turned my head to see the shinigami had wrapped his arms around me and I became prisoner to his strong arms.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice flat.

"I have already warned you to stay away from that..that _demon._ Yet why do you still insist on associating with him?"

He practically spit out the word _demon_ and I involuntarily gave a sigh.

"Why is this any of your business? Who are you to tell me who I can and cannot be around?"

I stiffened up when I realized he had buried his head into the nape of my neck. He wrapped his arms tighter around me and spoke, his voice muffled by my hair.

"Do you really not remember me? Or at least recognize me?"

I tore myself out of his embrace and turned to face him. I looked him up and down before resting my gaze on his face. Nothing about him was familiar. The only thing I had felt a glimmer or recognition was when we shook hands earlier but I pushed that thought out of my head.

"I have never met a shinigami. How am I suppose to remember someone I had never met? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

As I turned my head to leave the tent, I saw a flicker of emotion on the normally emotionless shinigami's face. It was pain. I shook my head and continued out the tent. Once I stepped out the tent, I stopped and looked up at the full moon, trying to figure out what just happened. The cool air and the quietness contrasted with the storm raging in my mind. I wracked my brain trying to figure out if I do know William; I was lost in thought until I saw Sebastian walk towards me out the corner of my eye.

"Ah, hello Sebastian."

"Good evening, Miss Sterling. What were you just thinking about?"

I debated with myself whether or not to tell what had just happened but decided to keep quiet. I slightly shook my head and looked back up at the silver moon. Sebastian also gazed at the moon and a comfortable silence fell upon us. Eventually, I turned to face the butler.

"I found something interesting in Joker's tent."

His eyebrows went up as I described what I read on the piece of paper.

"However, it seems our cover hasn't been blown yet. They only know factual things about bo-chan but don't know what he actually looks like..."

I looked at Sebastian, who had rested his chin on his fingers.

"What are they after? Who is the man in the photos and how are all the first stringers connected?" I muttered, before shutting my mouth.

I made eye contact with the butler and we simultaneously ducked behind some bushes. We peaked out to find the source of the rustles and saw the first stringers donning their performance attire.

 _This is extremely suspicious. Where would they be going this late at night? Maybe to kidnap children?!_

Sebastian seemed to have come to the same conclusion and after Beast passed by with Dagger, he whispered to me.

"You go on back to the townhouse and report to the young master. I'll tail these guys to see what they're up to."

I nodded and shifted to my cat form and took of into the night.

* * *

"...so that's what have happened so far."

I ran back to the townhouse in ten minutes and updated Ciel on everything that had happened. I glanced at his youthful face to see he was deep in thought. He got up from his desk and walked to the window and stared at the moon.

"Something is missing. Why would that man be looking for me and how is the circus involved?"

"We don't have the full picture yet but Sebastian is trailing the first stringers as we speak. We'll update you tomorrow when we find out more. For now, we do know that the photos I found were taken in front of 'something workhouse,' or in other words, an orphanage. Perhaps you can start narrowing down the options while we handled things on our side."

"An orphanage, huh? Did you say the first stringers were all well acquainted?"

"Yes. They seemed to have been with each other for quiet some times. I think it's safe to assume that they're from the orphanage and the man in the photo is the patron. He was well dressed so presumably he has some sort of status that allows him to be a philanthropist."

"Someone of status that has invested in a bunch of orphans and gave them prosthetics..and on top of that he's having them kidnap kids.."

We fell into silence briefly only to have it broken by a knock.

"Come in." Ciel responded.

The door opens to reveal Sebastian. He walked into the room and gave Ciel a bow.

"What are you doing here?"

"I come with some new information I thought you would want to hear as soon as possible."

"Speak."

"The first stringers are indeed the ones kidnapping children. They are also expert assassins; they took out all the police on night watch with ease...but the odd thing is, the girl they were kidnapping was smiling like she was watching a show, even though she was watching the performers brutally murdering the police. I suspect some sort of drug use."

Ciel looked at Sebastian thoughtfully and gestured at him to continue.

"Of course, I followed the carriage where they kidnapped the girl because I am just one hell of a butler..." I rolled my eyes and let out a loud sight. Sebastian looked at me before continuing,"...to the mansion of Lord Kelvin, with Joker escorting the kidnapped girl."

"Lord Kelvin...? I think I have met him quite a while ago," Ciel sat back down at his desk and took a sip of the tea. "So Lord Kelvin is behind all of this, huh...Sebastian and Sterling, I want you two to stay there for at least one more day while I investigate him. But come back at the end of tomorrow. We'll be going directly after him tomorrow night."

I gave a bow in unison with Sebastian and we left the townhouse. Once again, we were walking on the now empty streets, except this time, the silver moon cast an ethereal filter on my surroundings.

"The first stringers should be back at the circus by now, right?"

"Excluding Joker, yes."

"Good thing their tents are at the back of the circus so we don't have to sneak past them to get back to our tent."

Sebastian gave a quiet chuckle.

"It sounds like we're teenagers who snuck out of the house and are trying to get back without waking the parents."

"It's kind of exciting, isn't it? It's been so long since I have felt anything like this."

I looked up at him and, perhaps of the glow of the moonlight, his eyes were shining. I saw my own eyes reflecting in his eyes and I looked away.

"I'm trying my best not to think of the future but..."

"But...?"

"I finally found a place where I actually feel connected to but I know it's not going to last."

"Such is the fate of those who are immortal. Speaking of which, are you immortal?"

"I believe it's possible for me to die but in order for that to happen, I'd have to be seriously injured without being able to absorb energy. I constantly absorb energy from my surroundings whether I like it or not so it's almost impossible for me to die."

We fell into silence and I listened to the clacking of our shoes on the street. Something about the quiet streets, the iridescent moon, and Sebastian walking next to me that made me feel content. We continued walking until he spoke up again.

"How old are you, Sterling?"

Hearing him call my name in such an intimate way made my heartbeat speed up a little.

"Hmm..couple hundred years? I've lost count."

"You know, usually ladies refrain from giving others their age. But I guess you're not a normal lady."

I shrugged and talked without turning my face towards him.

"Well, it's not like I'm a human...How old are you then?"

"A couple hundred years, though I am probably older than you."

We fell back into silence and my mind wandered. Where do demons come from? Does Sebastian have parents? Countless questions blew threw my mind but I kept my silence. Before long, we arrived back at the circus and we went to our separate ways after bidding each other good night. I walked into the dark tent and saw William's eyes in the dark. I had a flash back to earlier when he held me in his arms and I climbed onto the top bunk without saying anything and without looking at him. Despite how annoying he was, being around him made me slightly uncomfortable. It's as if I'm trying _not_ to remember him. Like I didn't _want_ to remember him. Even though countless thoughts ricocheted around in my brain, I eventually fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to hear a slight chatter outside.

"I guess it's time for me to go help with breakfast."

I sat up and ran my fingers through my slightly tangled hair. Suddenly, a brush appeared under my bed and I looked over the edge to see William, who was still dressed in his matching stripes pajamas, handing me the brush. I averted my eyes, grabbed my brush, and mumbled a thank you.

"It's nothing."

He said, without an ounce of emotion in his voice. I heard some rustle and he stood up, dressed in his colorful suit, and went outside the tent. I brought the brush up to my hair and marveled at how easily it untangled my hair without pulling out my hair.

"How did he know this brush would work? And why does he even have a brush?"

I jumped down from the bunk and put the brush on top of his pillow. I grabbed the white and black checkered dress that matched Doll's and put it on, along with the accessories that came with it. Along with the dress, the first stringers gave me a little red hat, red lip stick, a fingerless black glove, white thigh high socks with red ribbons and black checkers, and a pair of white flats.

"Man, who would have thought putting a hat and makeup on could be so annoying..."

Having struggled for a couple minutes with the hat and the lipstick, I decided to just bring the items with me so others could help me with putting them on. I walked out the tent into the chilly air and some some people already bustling around, making coffee, peeling potatoes, or bring water from a nearby river. Not sure what to do, I walked around before bumping into someone.

"My apologies."

I looked up to see it was Sebastian. I gave him a little smile and remembered that we were supposed to be lovers. I went on my tippy toes and whispered in his ear.

"Hey could you help me put on my hat and lipstick? I'm no good with human things and I also don't have a mirror."

I saw some people stealing glances at us and I gave an inward snicker. Sebastian, who was always on top of things, gave a closed smile and began fixing my hair. I shivered a little from pleasure as he ran his hands through my hair. He secured some of my hair with the hat and put out his hand, palms up. I decided to put on a show for my fellow performers and I shoved my hands into my pockets, feeing the lipstick in my right pocket. I gave Sebastian a devilish grin and spun around, refusing to give him the little stick. I heard him chuckle.

"Just like a cat."

I felt his arm slowly enclose around me and I blushed. I shook my head and shoved the lipstick deeper into my pocket. Since his arm was longer, he could reach both my pockets with one arm. First he searched my left pocket with his right arm. Empty. Then his arm moved to the other side and grabbed the lipstick. His left arm also reached into my right pocket and tangled with my hand. He spun me around and released my hand. He pulled off the cap on the lipstick and gently grabbed my face. He slid the lipstick on my lips and I could feel myself blushing even more, feeling the feathery touch on my lips and I stared into his eyes. Sebastian put the cap back on the lipstick and grabbed my hand, lipstick between our palms, and put his hand and my hand into his pocket.

"It's still chilly, my dear. I wouldn't want you to get sick."

I glanced up at him, a little dazed at what just happened when I heard the whispers. By now, a huge crowd of performers have gathered around us.

"W-wow. Such a public display of affection."

"Aw I'm kind of jealous of her..."

"What are you talking about? I think they're super cute!"

 _Oh right. I started this to show we were lovers. I can't believe I got so swept up by my own plan._

I gritted my teeth, feeling annoyed at myself for getting influenced. I looked around the crowd and suddenly, my eyes met a startling green. It was William. His face was emotionless as usual but the tense muscle around his jaw betrayed his poker face. Upon closer inspection, I could see his eyebrows were slightly furrowed and he was clenching his jaw.

 _How much did he see? I hope he didn't see the whole thing._

I stopped my thought in surprise.

 _Why? Why do I feel so guilty?_

Confused at my own emotions, I pulled my hand out of Sebastian's warm pocket and gave him a weak smile.

"I'll be back."

Before he could say anything, I turned around and ran.

* * *

 **Thinking back on it, this was COMPLETELY unexpected. William wasn't in the picture until he showed up in the chapters...I can't wait to see what your thoughts and predictions about him and Sterling would be hehe**

 **Artist-kun: I'm glad you find my story worth reading :D**

 **P3nnn: You'll find out how Will knows Sterling in the future but for now, I'll let you squirm with want for a little longer hehehe..seriously though, your reviews make me SOOO happy. Thank you for always reviewing! And if all goes well, you will probably have two more chapters to read before the year is over ;)**

 **Eddingsfan: I am taking measures to rest my shoulder properly! Thanks for your concern :D and honestly? I'm not sure how Will fits in as of now myself haha but we'll see where it goes ;)**

 **promocat: I'm really excited for you guys to find out their history..I'm pulling in info I got from the manga though...maybe this will give you a hint hehe**

 **ThePinkyNinja: Did the things that happened in this chapter meet up with your expectation? I'm actually pretty proud of this chapter so hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Good morning everyone! Actually, hah, it's almost noon here...it's pretty bad. Ever since I went home, I've been waking up at 10 in the morning and it just feels like such a waste of time. But no matter how many alarms I set, I would turn it off and just go right back to sleep...HAHA I mean, I did try to go to masters swim last week, but with my shoulder injury, that didn't work (masters practice starts at 5 in the morning btw). Anywayssssss, have a great day!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I own characters and events not seen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

Without knowing where I was going, I just kept my head down and ran. I didn't understand my own feelings and that pissed me off. Before long, I slowed to a walk and noticed my surroundings. I had ran into the surrounding forest of the clearing where the circus was stationed. Without specific purposes or intentions, I wandered in the woods.

"This was how I used to live..."

Before stumbling upon the Phantomhive manor, I had spent my life aimlessly wandering the wilderness and visiting London to observe humans. I didn't have any purpose in life. But now, I felt I was actually doing something with my life and I loved it. I loved everything about my situation, now matter how much I might complain. I loved teasing Ciel, getting teased by Sebastian, interacting with the servants, and helping Ciel with his problems; I loved every part of it.

As my mind stormed on, I absentmindedly followed a particularly large root of a tree. I reached the trunk of the tree and I rested my right cheek upon the living being.

"I remember when this one was just a sapling. Hello, old friend."

I had wandered around the woods around London long enough to know every single tree. I gave a gentle smile before something caught my eyes. It was a cozy two story cottage hidden within the trees and overgrown bushes; the only way to see it was from my particular angle.

"Why is there a cottage here?"

Giving in to my curiosity, I walked towards the cottage, squeezing in between the foliage to find myself in a tiny clearing. The cottage was very unique as it was decorated with silver instead of other usual materials. The wooden part of the little establishment had long turned to dust but everything else still stood. By this time, the sun had already risen and I watched the rays bounce off the house. Mesmerized, I reached for one of the pieces of silver on the house and touched it with my fingertips.

"Oh!"

The moment my skin touched the metal, I felt a familiar warmth spread around my body. I knew this metal. I walked the perimeter of the house, continually feeling the pieces of silver that scattered around the outside.

"I know this house..."

 _But how?_

I rounded to the front door of the cottage and hesitantly walked through the empty door way. The cottage had a mini living room with a fireplace and an extremely dusty rug, which also had silver threads woven into it. I walked further in and saw an also fairly small kitchen. The sink was made of silver and in the center of the kitchen was a rotten countertop.

 _Normal people couldn't afford this much silver._

I walked over to the sink and touched the silver.

"As I thought..."

The familiar warmth spread across my body once again. The abnormal amount of silver around the house was all familiar to me. Although I'm the silver nymph and can sense silver in all its glory, I would know the silver I created no matter how much time has passed. All the silver decorating the house was made by me. But I don't remember anything about this place or why I even created a cottage. I turned around and went up the stairs and found only two rooms: a bedroom and a bathroom. Everything about the cottage was humble, save the gleaming silver from every corner. But as luxurious as silver seemed, it fit right into place with the rest of the cottage.

It was a cottage built with love.

I could tell by the way the whole cottage mingled and blended in with the silver that the people who built this place got along more than well. But why don't I remember this? I wracked my brain and tried to remember as hard as I could. But no matter I do, nothing particular jumps out at me. I let out a scream of frustration and sank down on my knees. I tugged at the rug, stirring up the ancient dust. I decided to beat the dust out of the rug, which would also help alleviate my frustration. I took it all out on the rug and when I was done, the rug looked as good as new. It was a midnight blue rug with the stars sprinkled everywhere. The silver thread that ran across the perimeter of the rug matched perfectly with the dark blue hue and it was also surprisingly soft. I wrapped myself up with the rug and lied down on the dusty and rotten wooden floor. Before long, I fell asleep.

In my sleep, I saw flashes of memories. Though I don't remember these events, the dreams were extremely vivid. I saw a young man with black hair and deep deep blue eyes staring at me. He had fine features and slightly downturned lips. Despite his empty face, his eyes were overflowing with emotions. In another scene, I saw cottage back before the it fell apart. In the last scene I remembered, I felt a grief deeper and more painful than anything I had ever experienced in my life jolt through my body. It felt like my heart was being mangled by a beast.

My eyes fluttered open and I saw the clear blue sky. I felt something ticklish on my face and I touched a finger to my cheeks. I was crying. I rubbed the tears away and looked up at the sky. It was noon already and I stood up.

"I should probably get back."

I gathered the rug and kept it around my shoulder and jogged back to the circus. When I got back, the whole camp was bustling with activity. I walked back to my tent and entered the darkness. I folded my rug and set it on top of my bunk and went outside again. When I walked out, Sebastian was standing right outside.

"You took quite a long break, Miss Sterling. Ah, I mean Silver."

I looked up at the demon and unconsciously began comparing him to the man I saw in my dream. Both of them were extremely handsome. But something about Sebastian made him seem more...alluring. The man in my dreams seemed more clean cut and respectable. Suddenly, Sebastian took a finger under my chin and lifted my face towards him.

"Your eyes are puffy. Were you crying, my dear?"

I pulled out of my mind and blinked several times before realizing Sebastian was speaking to me.

"Ah, I must have gotten something in my eyes."

"Then we'll need to wash that out as soon as possible. Come with me."

With that, Sebastian laced his finger with mine and dragged me away to his tent. He pulled me inside and held me at arms length.

"You were crying, Miss Sterling."

"But I don't know why..."

Sebastian's eye brow twitched.

"Do explain."

"I stumbled upon an abandoned cottage not far from here and it was decorated with an abnormal amount of silver for someone who would live there. When I touched the silver, I recognized it as something I had created. But I have no recollection of anything to do with the cottage. Then I fell asleep there wrapped in a rug that I brought back and I had some weird dreams. When I woke up, I was crying. That's it."

"I see."

My eyes wandered back on Sebastian's face and once again I found myself staring at the beautiful demon. He made eye contact and held it there for what seemed like an eternity. Then, his gloved hand hesitantly reached up to my cheek and I flinched slightly when he made contact. His hand combed back some hair that was in my face and his thumb swiped under my eye.

"You're crying."

I jumped a little when he said that and felt my other cheek. I was actually crying.

"I don't understand this. Why am I crying? I don't understand...I don't get it!"

The more I voiced my thoughts, the more the tears fell down my face. My voice got more and more hysterical and soon I was sobbing into Sebastian's chest. He wrapped his strong arms around me and began petting my head. He just stood there silently, stroking my hair as I slowly gathered myself. I hadn't realized this before but his consistent presence was really calming. He was dependable and always helped me out when I needed it most. I took in loud gasps of air as the tears began to subside. I wiped my eyes with my arm and pushed away from Sebastian. I cleared my throat and began speaking, my voice slightly hoarse.

"Ahem. Sorry about that. I'm fine now."

"There's no need to put on a brave face, Sterling."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

I responded a little too quickly and turned around to leave Sebastian's tent. He grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. His face slowly came closer to mine until I could feel his breath on my face. Unable to bear looking into his beautiful eyes, I squeezed my eyes shut. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain on my right cheek.

"Ouch!"

My eyes flew opened and I saw Sebastian had pinched my cheek. He had on his signature smirk and asked.

"Did you think I was going to kiss you?"

My cheeks turned bright pink and I responded a little too quickly.

"W-w-What? Why would I think you were going to k-kiss me?"

"Well, Miss Sterling, your eyes were closed and you had on quite an inappropriate face."

"Now that's just rude! I was not being inappropriate! Anyone in that situation would've done what I did!" I shot back.

But instead of sassing me back, Sebastian's smirk was replaced by an authentic smile. His sudden change made my heart skip a beat.

"W-what? Why are you smiling?"

He gave a quiet chuckle and pointed out.

"You're finally back to yourself."

Sebastian once again laced his fingers with mine and looked at the tent flap.

"Alright, Silver. We better go out before others think we disappeared to do something indecent."

"Indecent?!"

Once again, he was tugging at my arm and I followed his lead.

 _Was he trying to make me feel better? That was unexpectedly...sweet._

I gazed at his tall and broad back and felt my cheeks heat up. Despite all the confusion I had regarding the cottage, I felt infinitely better knowing Sebastian would be there to help me. For once, I let go of all resistance and just went along with him. We walked out the tent to immediately run into a group of performers, most of whom were female but a few male performers sprinkled the crowd. When they saw us walk out of the tent, they looked in all different directions and pretended to be doing something else.

"My, my. What are you all doing here? Were you, perhaps, eavesdropping on us?"

Sebastian asked pleasantly with a smile plastered on his face.

"That's a scary smile, Michaelis."

While Sebastian was turned towards the voice, everyone who were outside scattered, leaving just me, Sebastian and the person who spoke. We turned around and saw it was William. I refused to make eye contact with the shinigami and looked at the ground as he approached us.

"Please refrain from interfering with my work. I am quite busy and will not tolerate anyone or anything that will make me work overtime."

"I could say the same to you. I'm here on my master's order. Since you're a man with a sense of duty, please don't get in my way."

Once again, I could feel the tension between the two man. I tugged at Sebastian's sleeve and whispered.

"Let's go."

Sebastian's eyes widened at my unexpectedly childish action and a smirk immediately replaced his surprise. He snaked his fingers with mine and gave a polite smile to the death god.

"We will be on our way. Now, if you'll excuse us."

With that, we turned around and walked back to my tent.

"Hang on, I need to grab something."

I let go of Sebastian's hand and went inside my tent. I reached up and grabbed the rug I brought back from the ruined cottage and walked out. However, before I could completely step out of the tent, someone grabbed my arm and pulled my back.

 _Wait...I have a feeling this has happened before._

Not surprisingly, when I turned around, William was standing in front of me, holding my arm.

"What do you want?"

His arm reached into his pocket and he pulled out the brush he gave me that morning. Still without any emotions on his face, he handed me the brush.

"This is the brush that works the best with your hair."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you keep confusing me? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"I.." William's voice broke and cast his glance on the ground. He cleared his throat looked straight at me. "I promised you before. I'll never leave you."

"Before? Have we met before?"

However, before William could respond, I felt familiar arms encircle around me. I turned my head and saw Sebastian. He had scooped me in his arms and was glaring at the shinigami, his eyes glowing.

"Stay away from her," Sebastian warned, his voice low, before carrying me out the tent. "We should head back to the mansion. Young master is waiting for us."

I nodded and rested my head on Sebastian's firm chest and felt the wind swooshing around. After only a few minutes, he set me down in front of the door of Ciel's office. He knocked on the door and we both entered the room. Ciel stood up and Sebastian helped him into his coat. Ciel tapped the ground with his walking stick and declared.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **Hehe my apologies for a shorter chapter. I had written Joker into the end of the chapter until I realized he's still at Lord Kelvin's mansion so I deleted that. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Maybe you have figured out the relationship between Sterling and Will? Hehehe**

 **Avengettecap: Thank. You. So. MUCH! :D**

 **P3nnn: ahhh what is a romance story without a love triangle? Haha although it's not much of a love triangle ;)**

 **Kiseki: I'm glad you're finally better! It seems that I am sick now T-T But hopefully it's just allergies. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas as well! Thank you**

 **promocat: I agree. I do feel bad for Will but he's just not meant to be with Sterling :/**

 **ThePinkyNinja: THANK YOU! I'm so glad you thought Chapter 11 was awesome and unexpected! I usually try not to do cliche things but you know, that's kind of hard.**

 **Kihala Sisters: Thank you for reading my stories! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello! I can't believe it's almost 2016! This sounds super cliched but this year really has gone by so quickly. Have a fun and safe one!**

 **OH MY GOODNESS I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPLOAD. I had written more than half the chapter before realizing I didn't like it and changed it completely. I hope it was the right choice...**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I own characters and events not in the anime/manga.**

* * *

"So where is Lord Kelvin's mansion?"

"It's about a day's travel from London, first by rail then by carriage."

"You could get us there in under an hour, correct?"

"If you ordered it."

"Let's get this over with and get back to the manor."

"Yes, my lord."

I watched the exchange between Ciel and Sebastian before realizing something.

"How are we going to get there together?"

I looked at Ciel and Sebastian, tilting my head at the predicament.

"Bo-chan getting to the mansion is my first priority."

I gave a little sigh and looked at Ciel.

"There's no need for you to come, Sterling. Go back to the mansion and wait for us to come back."

"But-"

"Just do it. You'll just get in the way if you come with us."

I pouted but nodded anyways. I looked between Ciel and Sebastian.

"Make sure to come back safe, okay?"

"Who do you take us for?" Ciel asked, almost condescendingly.

"That's right.. I forgot. Well, good luck!"

I turned into my cat form and we took off in opposite directions.

* * *

When I arrived back at the mansion, Mey-Rin was the first to greet me.

"Miss Sterling! Welcome back. Where's bo-chan and Sebastian?"

"They're handling a situation and will be back when that's over."

"Oh, I see. Ah! Miss Elizabeth came to visit this afternoon. She's sleeping right now."

"Miss Elizabeth? Who is that?"

"Bo-chan didn't tell you? She's his fiancé!"

"Fiancé? I didn't know Ciel had one..."

"They're childhood friends and their parents decided this when they were still young. Anyways, why don't you go ahead and freshen up? It is getting late."

"That sounds good! Good night."

She gave me a bow.

"Good night, Miss Sterling."

"Mey-Rin."

"Y-yes!"

"You don't have to call me Miss Sterling. Just Sterling is fine."

"Yes, Miss Sterling! Ah, I mean Sterling."

I gave her a smile and she blushed.

"Well, see you later."

I went upstairs and took a shower. As I dried my hair with the towel I remembered something. I left the bathroom and walked back to my room.

"Where is it?"

I looked around and finally found the pile of clothes I had worn during the circus. It was next to the rug I brought back from the cottage. I patted around and pulled out the brush William gave me. Hesitantly, I lifted the brush to my damp hair and brushed downwards. Just like last time, it detangled my hair easily without pulling any out. As I continued to brush my hair, my mind wandered back to the cottage and to William. For some reason, I had a gut feeling they were somehow connected. But how? I walked to the large window and stared out at the landscape, which was in almost completely darkness.

"New moon...huh?"

While looking outside, I saw someone flitting around the shadows.

"Is that...Dagger and Beast? What are they doing here?"

I set down the brush and ran out the room. As I reached the foyer, I ran into Mey-Rin.

"Why are the people from the circus here?"

She lifted her glasses and set them on top of her head.

"They may have been from the circus but they're intruders here. You want to help protect this mansion?"

I was taken back at her difference in attitude but recovered quickly. I gave a nod and she gave me a satisfied grin.

"Finni has already taken one out. Judging by what I saw, there are about three or four people."

"That's not right. There are a total of seven first stringers. One of them is at Lord Kelvin's mansion right now. So there should be six of them."

By now, Finni and Baldroy had met up with us. Every one of them had an intense look on their face I have never seen before. Baldroy began giving out commands.

"Mey-Rin, you go up to the rooftop. The rifles are all loaded."

With a little salute, Mey-Rin ran off into the dark halls.

"Finni, you guard the side entrances and I will guard the front entrance. It's possible they're trying to create a distraction to divert our attention. Sterling, I want you keep an eye on anyone who enters the mansion. Let us know when you find one."

I nodded and switched forms. As I patrolled the hallways, the mansion was eerily silent, as if it was holding its breath for what's to come. I glanced out the window and my eyes widened. I saw a person with long red hair who also gave off a similar aura as William.

 _A shinigami?_

But my thoughts were distracted when I heard a door click open and some whispers. I ran towards the voices and saw Dagger and Beast had entered through a side door. They were greeted by Baldroy and as soon as they saw him, they began to attack while he was trying to give a speech.

 _Wow Baldroy, way to be so carefree. But I bet that'll piss Beast off even more. Hehe._

I stayed in the shadows and suddenly, I heard some gunshots and statues flew down from above. Mey-Rin and Finni had finished their jobs outside and now, we had four against two. In midst of the dust, I felt Beast and Dagger's energy run off somewhere into the mansion.

 _Guess I'm up._

I followed them and saw they were looking room after room.

 _Who are they looking for? Could they be looking for Ciel? That would explain why there was a letter containing Ciel's information._

"Did you see that?"

I hid behind a corner when I felt Beast and Dagger had stopped. I glanced down and cursed silently before pulling my hair off my shoulder and into the front. I held my breath and listened.

"See what? Dagger, we don't have time to be dillydallying around here."

They continued down the hallway and I went to one of the room they checked. There was a notification bell attached to that room and I pulled on the string to let Baldroy know where the intruders were. I ran out the room and continued following the pair before I heard a heavy thud and Beast yelling.

"What is with him? He's superhuman!"

 _They must be talking about Finni._

Then I heard some gun shots and knew Mey-Rin had joined the battle. I was about to run forward before Beast and Dagger retreated and almost stepped on me. As they dodged another statue thrown by Finni, they fell down some stairs and the statues Finni threw actually made a barrier. I followed them and realized we were back on the first floor and we were near the kitchen. Again, I went to a room with the bells to let Baldroy know where they were. They continued checking the rooms until they saw the kitchen. The lights were on and they lined against the doors. As they peaked into the room, Baldroy greeted them. He was saying something corny about the end of the world and I gave an internal sigh. I entered the room and hopped onto the counter. Beast had just whipped the bowl Baldroy had in his hand before she saw me.

"It's the cat that I saw in my tent the other day!" Beast yelled, pointing a finger at me.

At that point, I decided to further shock them. I switched back to my human form and Dagger and Beast's jaws dropped.

"Silver? What are you doing here?"

"What the...Sterling! Where did you come from?" Baldroy asked, his eyes wide and his jaw dropping to the floor.

I gave them a wink and snapped my fingers. All the silver jewelries Beast and Dagger were wearing immediately turned red from heat.

"Hot! This is burning me!"

They both began screaming in pain. I turned around and gave Baldroy a thumbs up. He grinned at me and pulled off the cover on his weapon.

"I got this baby from a friend in the States. Like I told you, the kitchen is full of weapons for the chef!"

He began shooting across the room and Dagger immediately tackled Beast to protect her from the bullets. When Baldroy stopped, the kitchen was full of holes. I shook my head and looked at him.

"Baldroy, Sebastian's going to get mad at you."

The mention of the demon's name caused him to falter momentarily.

"But I had to, to protect the mansions. Wait, that's not I want to talk about. How did you turn from a cat into a per-""

All of a sudden, a whip flew toward Baldroy and jumped out of the way. Beast had stood up with tears in her eyes.

"I'll never forgive you!"

Baldroy agily dogged out of the way and grabbed a bag of something block the attack. I snapped my finger again and soon, Beast was groaning in pain from the red hot metal on her body. But she didn't slow down. She was in so much pain from Dagger's death her only focus was to avenge her faithful friend. I climbed out of the hole in the ceiling of the kitchen and watched as the room began to be filled with the the fine powder. When some of the powder had cleared, I noticed Baldroy wasn't in the room. Then I heard a voice beside me.

"You know, the finer you ground an explosive powder, the easier it'll catch on fire. My apologies, miss. Don't take this personally. We're just doing our jobs."

Baldroy lit a cigarette and gave one last pitying glance at Beast and tossed the match into the room. As soon as the match touched the powder in the kitchen, a large explosion occurred. I gave a little sigh as I glanced into the dark smoke and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Baldroy had a slightly worried expression.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I've seen this happen many times. It's just that people spend so much effort to live the best life they can, forge important relationships with othe people, and impact other's lives but it can all be taken away within mere seconds."

"I completely understand how you feel. How 'bout you take your mind off that and help us clean up? These visitors left quite a large mess. While we do that, you can explain to me why you were a cat."

I nodded and the four of us went back into the mansion.

* * *

 **Phew! I made it just on time. I'm at a friend's house and I actually wrote part of this on my phone. Until I accidentally went back and lost the last few sentences of the chapter so I borrowed her laptop. Anyways, here you go! Have a great rest of 2015!**

 **promocat: I know! I feel bad for her too...**

 **ThePinkyNinja: you'll find out about everything eventually! ;)**

 **P3nnn: Nice prediction! You're going in the right direction.**

 **Kiseki: I'm glad you like it! What is a truth or dare fic? Please explain.**


	14. Chapter 14

**For some reason, the recent reviews for chapter 13 isn't showing up..like the number of reviews is correct and I could read the reviews from the email notification, but it's how showing up on the story itself...it's been two days but hopefully if I just keep waiting, it'll show up...if not, I apologize if I miss responding to anyone's review! It seems a lot of people are having issues with reviews showing up but the number of reviews seem to be accurate. Anyways, just a heads up!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its character but I own characters and events not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

The mansion had been cleaned up to the best of our abilities when I heard the front door click open. I walked towards the foyer and paused on the stairs.

"Welcome back."

I welcomed back the pair and saw that Sebastian was holding Ciel. He sat down his young master and looked up at me with a slight smile.

"We're back."

Ciel began walking wordlessly up the stairs. He was slightly wobbly and his eyes were hazy but he continued on. Sebastian and I just followed behind. I wanted to help him but for some reason, he seemed like he would lose it if I offered my help. We reached the bathroom and I made eye contact with the butler. We bid each other goodnight with a nod of our heads and I went to my room.

"Is he okay? He seemed like he was in shock or something. Either way, I'll stay close to see how I can help."

I picked up the brush and started brushing my now very tangled hair from the earlier battle. Not surprisingly, it went through my hair perfectly. I sat down the brush on the drawer and muttered to myself.

"Well, it's not like I can help Ciel that much with Sebastian around anyways."

I sighed and flopped down on my bed. I pulled the covers over myself until it was under my chin and I shut my eyes.

"It's been a long day..."

Soon, I fell into a deep sleep. However, sometime during the night, I heard a scream. My eyes flew open and I ran outside my room. I heard the piercing scream again and I took off in the direction of the sound. Eventually, I ended up in front of Ciel's room. I opened the door and walked in to see Sebastian standing by Ciel's bed. Ciel was thrashing around in the bed like a possessed person and he let out another scream.

"Sebastian! Why aren't you doing anything?"

"Miss Sterling..."

He turned towards me and bowed.

"I apologize for the disturbance but bo-chan seems to be having a nightmare and I can't wake him up without hurting him."

I walked up towards the bed and stood next to Sebastian.

"Ciel looks like he's in so much pain.."

I reached a hand out towards Ciel's head and rested my hand on his sweaty forehead. The moment I touched his head, his movements calmed down a bit.

"There, there. It's going to be fine," I cooed, beginning to stroke his Ciel's soft hair.

His breath, which was raggedy and shallow before, began to slow down slightly. He began breathing deeper and slower breaths and I got an idea. He was still moving around quite a lot so I lied down next to him carefully. Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed and he gave me a questioning look. I put one finger on my mouth to make sure he remained silent and I took Ciel's head in my arms. I continued stroking his head and gently rocked back and forth. Soon, Ciel entered deep sleep and he went limp in my arms. I gave a sigh of relief and was about to put Ciel's head back on the pillow when I felt his arm circle around my waist and pull me a little closer to him. I gave a quiet chuckle and continued holding him in my arms. I looked up at Sebastian to tell him that I would take care of Ciel for the rest of the night when I hesitated. Sebastian's eyes were glowing and he seemed extremely unamused. I raised my eyebrows at the demon to ask what was wrong and he averted his eyes. Then he gave a bow and silently left the room.

 _Well that was weird...and I know weird. I wonder why he looked so pissed?_

While thinking about Sebastian's odd behavior, I too, slowly fell asleep in Ciel's warm embrace.

* * *

I woke up the next morning in Ciel's arms.

 _I guess our positions switched during the night..._

I was curled up in a ball and my head was resting on Ciel's slight chest. Gently, I lifted my head to glance up at the boy and I felt relief when I saw his face completely relaxed. He was breathing deeply and I smiled.

 _Thank god he's okay now._

I was about to push myself away from him when he twitched a little. Then his arms around me tightened and he mumbled.

"Lizzie..."

 _Hehehe he's dreaming about his fiancé. That's kind of cute especially since he's always putting on a front. As I thought, he's more innocent and act his age in his sleep._

I tried again to push myself away from Ciel but his arms wouldn't loosened so I just lied there, staring at the ceiling. After some time had passed, I heard the door click open. I slightly lifted my head and saw Sebastian walk in with a grimace. He avoided looking at me and opened the curtains in the room. The white sun rays immediately flooded the dark room and I squinted until my eyes adjusted to the brightness. I gently pushed myself to a seating position and Ciel's arms loosened up and he ended up with his head in my lap. I unconsciously started stroking his head and I looked up at Sebastian. He finally made eye contact with me and I was taken aback at what I saw on his face. I saw conflict, anger, and for a brief moment, confusion.

"Why do you look like that?" I whispered softly.

He remained silent and put on his mask.

"Bo-chan seems to be sleeping soundly. Although he had a rough day yesterday, he has a full schedule today and must wake up."

"What happened yesterday at Kelvin's mansion? I've never seen Ciel in such a condition before."

"This has happened once before. After I made the contract with him, he had nightmares every night for several months until they gradually subdued."

"When was this?"

Sebastian paused a little and made eye contact with me.

"Three years ago."

"What happened three years ago that would cause him all these problems?"

"Don't say unnecessary things," a grumpy and hoarse voice said.

I looked down at the boy in my lap to see his eyes were half opened.

"You're awake! How are you feeling?"

He seemed to have realized where his head was and he blushed then quickly pushed me away and sat up. He cleared his throat and was about to look at me when he realized something. Before he spoke, Sebastian handed Ciel his eye patch and he proceeded to wrap the strings around his head but his clumsy fingers couldn't do the job.

"Let me help."

Without waiting for a response, I took the strings from Ciel's hand and tied his eye patch on for him. He gave me an embarrassed glare before speaking again.

"Like I said earlier, don't say unnecessary things, Sebastian."

"My apologies. I will watch my tongue in the future."

Sebastian bowed. Ciel gave a sigh and swung his legs over the bed. Sebastian immediately began dressing Ciel while informing him of what went on in the mansion last night.

"What?! Lizzie is here?" Ciel exclaimed a little too loudly.

I snickered and glanced at him sideways.

"Yes but we protected your _fiancé_ quite well. She doesn't even know what happened yesterday. Although there was a close call..."

"Close call? What happened?"

"Oh after Mey-Rin sniped Peter, he crashed through the window right in front of Lizzie's room. But," I continued before Ciel could talk,"Tanaka was there to smooth things over."

Ciel gave a sigh a relief and stood up, as Sebastian had finished dressing him. He was about to say something when his door flew open. I looked and saw a young girl with curly blonde hair and evergreen eyes.

"Good morning, Ciel!"

However, she stopped in her tracks when she saw me in his bed. Ciel visibly begins to panic and Lizzie pointed at me with a shaky finger.

"W-who's this? And why is she in your bed?"

I looked between Ciel and Lizzie and giggled inside at how panicked Ciel looked and decided to watch how this unfolded.

"Lizzie! Don't you know how to knock?"

"Why? So you have a chance to hide your affair? I can't believe you! We've been engaged for so long yet you still..."

Lizzie's voice broke and she began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Lizzie, this is a misunderstanding."

"Oh yeah? Then why is this woman in your bed then?!"

I saw Ciel struggle no doubt because he didn't want to tell her about his visit to Kelvin's mansion. I began thinking of an excuse that would cover up everything without spilling Ciel's secrets and I spoke up.

"Excuse me, if I may interrupt."

With that, all three of them turned their eyes on me. I could see Sebastian had an amuse expression on his face.

"I was actually just Ciel's body pillow. He can't sleep without hugging something."

"What?!"

"Oi, Sterling. Don't make this any worse than you already have...," I heard Ciel sigh and he covered his face with one hand while shaking his head.

"You guys are even on first name basis? Ciel! If there's something you want to tell me, just go ahead!"

"Goodness gracious. Miss Sterling, you mustn't play with Miss Elizabeth's feelings like that."

Sebastian gave me a smirk and turned to Elizabeth.

"Miss Sterling came to greet Ciel after he helped her out yesterday but passed out. I put her in bed and bo-chan was about to go downstairs for breakfast when you entered the room. And as bo-chan mentioned earlier, it is not proper for a lady to burst into a man's room no matter the time, Miss Elizabeth."

Being chastised by Sebastian, Elizabeth blushed and she looked at her shoes. Then, she mumbled her apologies.

"I'm sorry, Ciel. I just care too much for you..."

Ciel gave another sigh and put a hand on Elizabeth's head.

"I get it. I forgive you."

Elizabeth immediately blushed again and her pout was replaced with a brilliant smile.

"Heh, she really likes him, huh?"

"Moreover...," Sebastian continued, walking towards me. He pulled me off the bed and wrapped an arm around my waist and gave Elizabeth a closed eye smile.

"Miss Sterling is my pet. So you don't have to worry about bo-chan laying a hand on her."

With that declaration, I felt my face blush and Elizabeth gave a knowing smile.

"That's good to hear!"

She skipped to me and gave me a bow.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you! I'm Elizabeth. I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding earlier."

I gave a chuckle at her meekness and gave her a soft smile.

"I'm Sterling. It's very nice to meet Ciel's... _beloved_ fiancé," I turned my eyes to Ciel and saw his face slightly flush. He cleared his throat again and spoke.

"That's enough! I'm going down for breakfast."

I made eye contact with Elizabeth and we both paused before breaking out in laughter.

* * *

 **Woohoo! The circus arc is over now so it's officially back on the Sterling storyline! I might be mixing in various situations from the anime/manga but I'm not sure yet so we'll see :) Once again, I want to thank everyone for reading my story and moreover, I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed. I love the interaction with my readers and it makes me so so so so so so so happy! Thank you again and let's have a great year!**

 **Kiseki: Ooh I'm still not quite understanding the whole truth or dare fic concept but it sounds interesting! Happy New Year to you too :)**

 **Promocat: I know! I'm quite happy I could skip over some parts I didn't like from the Noah's circus arc. I originally wrote it so Sterling would go with Ciel and Sebastian to Kelvin's mansion but then I didn't like it so I scrapped the whole idea.**

 **Guest reviewer: Thank you for catching that! I can't believe I totally forgot only Ciel and Sebastian knew of Sterling's ability. Oopsies!**

 **Viona: Thank you :) I try to stay on schedule because I am personally an impatient person so I didn't want you guys to suffer the long wait haha although publishing twice a week is a little difficult but nothing I can't handle!**

 **P3nnn: Hehehe personally, I don't ever brush my hair because it rarely gets tangled but several of my friends have issues with that so I can see why a magical detangling brush would be an attractive...I guess attribute for a guy HAHA Anyways, I'm glad you ship Sebby and Sterling hehe! Thank you again for always reviewing. You always put a smile on my face! :D**

 **Aservis Roturier: I'm sorry but the first review you posted was cut off in the email notification because it was too long and since FF is being a poop I can't read everything. However, I wanted to take the time to thank you for your lengthy and in depth reviews! I really appreciate it :) As for the references, I was talking about Kuroshitsuji references. It can be from season 1 or two, the Noah's circus arc, The Book of Murder, the OVAs, or from the manga. I have yet to meet someone who has seen everything that's been published so if you can catch all the references, that would make me so happy. At the moment, Kuroshitsuji is my favorite anime although I do have a few other favorites. Again, thank you for your reviews and I'm a little embarrassed but happy that you think I have even the tiniest bit of writing talent! :D**

 **ThePinkyNinja: Hehe I'm sorry! I'm honestly not that mean in real life...wait actually, I think I'm worse in real life xD Muahahahahah Anyways, thank you for your reviews! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi hi! The weather here was crazy yesterday! I live on the west coast of the U.S. and there were multiple flash flood warnings AND a fricken tornado warning...Anyways, how is everyone doing? Let me know :) I really actually care about you guys so if you ever need someone to talk to, PM me!**

 **Also, I just started attempting to write this chapter and I realized something: I'm stuck. What do I do now? How is this story gonna proceed? AHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm so sorry if this chapter sucks T-T**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters and events that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

Later that morning, I found myself in Elizabeth's room.

"Hmm..this is really cute but I don't think it works quite well with your skin color..."

I sat on a stool in her room and stared at the mirror in front of me. Elizabeth had dressed me up in the fluffiest dress possible and was contemplating what sort of accessories I absolutely needed to wear with the outfit. I gave a quiet sigh and looked over at the young girl looking through her luggage.

"Uhm, Elizabeth?"

"Hmm?"

She turned around and I noticed there was a piece of fluff on her head. I laughed a bit and stood up and picked off the fluff. She gave me an embarrassed grin.

"You know, you don't have to dress me up like this. You don't have to go through the trouble."

"But it's really fun! I love dressing people up in something cute. You know, one time, I even put Sebastian in a bonnet!"

An impossible but all around vivid image emerged in my mind and I burst out laughing.

"You seriously did that? Man, I'd love to see that!"

I continued laughing, holding my side, when I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Elizabeth sang.

The door opened and it was Sebastian, who was bringing in some tea. I caught Elizabeth's eyes and signaled her to dress up Sebastian. It took a few tries and when she finally got it, she nodded her head and gave me a wink.

"Hey Sebastian..."

The butler turned around from pouring the tea with a closed eye smile.

"Yes, Miss Elizabeth?"

When he turned around, Elizabeth stuck a rather...feminine and lacy hat on his head. His eyes widened momentarily before bowing.

"Thank you for the gift," and turned around to finish pouring tea.

I covered my mouth with both my hand, but alas, I couldn't stop a loud guffaw from escaping my lips. When Elizabeth heard me, she, too, began laughing and this vicious cycle continued until Sebastian stopped moving. I held my breath and wiped away the tears that were flowing down my face. The butler slowly turned around and gave me a smile.

 _S-scary._

Immediately, I lost all my will to laugh. I bit my lip and averted my gaze. I heard Sebastian's footsteps and I saw his feet directly in front of me. I hesitantly looked up and the moment I did, he smoothly, but with immense force, slammed the hat on my head. Elizabeth gave a loud gasp and I momentarily lost my balance. Sebastian caught me and looked down at me with a smug face.

"If I were anyone else, you would've killed me...," I breathed.

His smile didn't falter and he responded.

"That is precisely why I did it to you, Miss Sterling."

I glanced down and saw that the outside rim of the hat around my neck.

 _Did he..break the hat?_

Before I could ask him, everything turned black.

* * *

 _Ugh my head hurts..._

Although I was awake, I kept my eyes closed, knowing that even a trace of light was exacerbate my headache. I could see the orange glow of the setting sun through my eyelids and even that weak light source hurt my head and eyes. I continued like that for a while before groaning and ducking under the comforters. However, I soon found the air under the cover too hard to breath and I flipped it over.

"Ugh..it's so bright...," I complained.

Then, somehow, the room plunged into darkness as if the curtains understood my words.

"Wait...this feel like deja vu..."

I opened my eyes and sure enough, there was Sebastian standing by the curtains only this time, Ciel wasn't in the room. I sat up and gave the demon a death glare.

"How could you? Hurting a lady like that."

"My apologies. I lost a bit of self control but I can't say I'm sorry about this situation," he murmured.

I lied my head back into the soft pillow and stared at the demon. He gave me a seductive grin and pressed a knee onto the bed. The bed gave a little squeak and soon, the butler was on the bed. He hovered over me and leaned in close. I closed my eyes when he got too lose and I felt his breath on my face. Then I felt an impossibly feather touch on my forehead. I opened my eyes and saw his chin close to me.

"What was that?"

"What was what, Miss Sterling?"

I gave Sebastian a sideways glance and moved until his face was right in front of me.

"I-I said, what was that? What'd you do to my forehead?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

Before I could yell at him for answering my question with an answer, he leaned in again and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. I froze and my eyes widened. He pulled alway and chuckled when he saw my expression.

"My, my. It seems I'll have to train you better."

I pushed my arms against his chest and looked away.

"What do you mean train? I'm not a dog, you know."

"I know that perfectly."

"Then how could you train me? Cats are very difficult to train."

"That's the fun in this. Now I could understands felines better."

I huffed and crossed my arms, still looking away from him.

"Tch, good luck with that! I'm not a normal cat."

Sebastian chuckled again and this time, I felt the mattress sink and the next thing I know, my face was buried in his chest. I struggled a little because I couldn't see or breath but when I freed my head, I saw that he had wrapped his arms around me. My heart started fluttering but I stayed put. I felt Sebastian's arms tighten a little and he whispered into my hair.

"This is almost like the first night you spent with me."

"Yeah...Except I'm not a cat right now."

"That's a minor detail."

"Hmm..."

I continued lying in his arms when the windows in my room shattered. I jumped to a standing position and when I looked out the window, I saw a man. Although he was fairly far away, I could see the slightly neon green aura surrounding his body. I turned around and saw Sebastian was also on his feet and he had an unusual annoyed expression. The man ran towards us and within seconds, jumped into my room through the window.

"William...?"

"We meet again, Sterling," he greeted with a soft smile on his face before his eyebrows furrowed. "Why are you with this disgusting creature?"

"Need me remind you, Mr. William, you were the one who rudely shattered the windows and trespassed unto the Phantomhive property," Sebastian stated with an emotionless face.

William promptly ignored Sebastian and walked up to me.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

William opened his mouth but shut it immediately without saying anything. He gave Sebastian a glare before looking me deep in my eyes. It was such an intense eye contact I felt myself blushing and had to look away.

 _He's looking at me like...I'm his lover._

"Meet me at the cottage tomorrow at 9 in the morning."

"Cottage? Where?"

"The cottage where you got that rug."

Having said that, William turned around and abruptly shot his spear weapon at Sebastian, who dodged it easily. William pushed up his glasses and gave me one last look before disappearing out the window.

"Are you going to meet him, Miss Sterling?"

I turned my head to the demon and he had a smile on his face but I could sense something darker under his facade.

"Why are you asking?"

"I'm merely curious."

"Yeah, right," I scoffed before looking out through the broken window and at the night scenery.

"I'm not sure but...what's the harm in going?"

I felt Sebastian's arms casually drape over my hips from behind. He pressed himself a little closer to me and chuckled.

"You don't have to go, Miss Sterling."

"Hearing you say that makes me want to go even more."

"I thought you might say that...so," he leaned in even more and breathed directly in my ear," I'll accompany you."

I flinched and covered my ear with my shoulder before nodding.

"Alright then."

"Now then, let's get some rest, shall we?"

Sebastian took off his tailcoat and, like the first night we spent together, began undressing. I turned away from him awkwardly and commanded him.

"H-hey! If you're gonna change, at least do it where I can't see you..."

"Pardon me, I didn't hear what you said," he responded, appearing right in front of me, shirtless.

"Ah!"

I covered my eyes with my hands and turned away from him.

"I said, change where I can't see you!"

I peeked through my fingers and saw that he was still behind me. I let my arms drop and gave a sigh of relief before exclaiming again.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?"

Sebastian had caught me in his arms and we were both somehow in bed, under the covers.

"Miss Sterling, if you're too loud, you'll disturb the other guests."

"I'll be quiet if you stop _harassing me_!" I hissed, smacking his torso only to realize he was still shirtless. My eyes widened and my heart beat got faster and faster until I thought I was going to pass out. I quickly turned away from him and huddled in the comforter and curling up.

"Goodness gracious, what are you doing?"

"Nothing!" I responded a little too quickly. I cleared my throat and started speaking again.

"I mean, nothing. I'm just lying here trying to rest. You're the one who's making it hard to sleep."

"Oh? I make it so you have a hard time sleeping? Miss Sterling, I didn't think you would ever try to seduce me like this."

I squealed when I felt his arms surround me from behind, and soon, I found he had pulled me to his chest and his legs were curled as well, making me trapped between his body.

"Just like the first night."

 _Oh yeah. the first night, we ended up spending the night like this as well, huh?_

I slowly turned my head and saw that Sebastian's eyes were closed. His arms were still fairly tight around me, but it seemed he was asleep.

"It must be hard being a butler..."

I turned my head more to examine his facial features.

 _Wow, he's honestly a work of art. I bet all the girls want to be in my position right now._

I giggled lightly and turned a little more.

"This piece of hair is always in his face...," I reached my finger up, wanting to see how he looked without his hair and his face. My finger went under the strand and began moving it up when he moved a little. I froze and watched him. After what seemed to be an eternity, he didn't move again so I moved the strand further up. But since I was in an awkward position, I turned around to face him gently and was about to push his hair out of his face with my palm when his eyes suddenly opened. I jumped and was about to push away when his arms tightened around me again.

"Being a butler is indeed a tiresome job."

"Huh? Did you hear what I said earlier? How long have you been awake?"

"Demons don't need sleep," he said, smirking.

"Really? That's really interesting but," I said, struggling to push him away," could you let me go? This is a little too..."

"I liked the position earlier but I have to say, I enjoy this much more."

He tucked my head under his chin and slightly repositioned himself in a more comfortable position. I paused a little because I was embarrassed but I soon began struggling again. Because I couldn't use my arms, I began kicking everywhere, in hopes that I could escape Sebastian, no matter how slim the chances are.

"Do you really dislike being like this so much?"

I paused mid-kick and thought about it. Just then, his left leg went between my legs and caught my left leg.

"What the..."

I couldn't see because of the comforter but I could feel it. Our legs were crisscrossed and we were intimately close.

"Sebastian...this is embarrassing..." I mumbled, too tired to fight against it anymore.

"It's fine. Demons don't need sleep but doesn't mean we can't. So, let's go to sleep."

 _How the heck am I supposed to sleep in such a position?_

However, after some time had passed, I felt completely comfortable in his arms and I began drifting off into sleep. Right before I fell asleep, however, I saw something neon green outside the windows that seemed to be glowing intensely.

* * *

 **Hehehe I was a little stuck before because I couldn't think of what to write after I had been following the plot of the story for so long but I am back on track! Hope you guys enjoyed this :)**

 **P3nnn: hehehe your reviews are so funny sometimes..also, make sure you have a box of tissues because your nose will be bleeding quite a lot after reading this chapter xD**

 **ThePinkyNinja: I should give up trying to be nice because it seems like a worse and worse cliffhanger comes with each new chapter haha sorry (not sorry)**

 **promocat: I think Sebastian was jealous for another reason *wink***

 **Kiseki: Thank you! I try really hard to make sure the characters stay in, well, character. If something doesn't make sense or a character doesn't make sense, please make sure to let me know. Actually, I re-read my chapters over and over again. It's kind of embarrassing. I read it a couple times as I'm writing, before I post and after I post because no matter how thorough I am, I always end up finding some mistakes. I just be a little bit of a perfectionist haha**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hehehe Sterling is finally going to find out why William knows her...? Hmmm I wonder...I'll just say this: prepare yourselves.**

 **On another note...iiiiiiiit's my birthday!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters and events that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to find I was in the bed alone. I glanced around the room and saw that the windows had been repaired.

"Always on the job, I see."

I sat up and stretched

"A Phantomhive butler who can't do this much isn't worth his salt," Sebastian responded, suddenly appearing in my room.

"Oh my, you scared me!"

"You should be careful of what you say in the mansion, Miss Sterling."

He walked up to me and glanced down at me.

"You should get ready soon. It's currently 8:30 in the morning."

"What? It's this late already?"

I shot out of bed and ran to grab the brush William gave me and ran the brush through my tangled hair. Sebastian noticed the brush and grabbed it out of my hand.

"Where did you get this? I'll assume it's not yours since you didn't bring any possessions when you arrived here."

"William gave it to me..."

"Oh?"

His eyes narrowed and he gave me back the brush without any words. Sebastian turned around and spoke.

"Please come downstairs when you are ready."

Then he left the room without another sound.

"What's up with him?"

I left almost right after Sebastian since I didn't need to get dressed. I wrapped the rug around my shoulder and chased after the butler and caught up to him when he reached the foyer.

"Sebastian, wait! I'm ready so let's go."

He didn't slow down or look at me but continued walking and soon we were in the woods. He walked a few feet in front of me and after a few minutes of silence, I spoke up.

"Uh...hey..."

Sebastian continued walking and didn't respond. I glared at him and spoke again.

"So, how am I going to make it there by 9 at the rate we're walking? That cottage is fairly far away..."

With this, he abruptly stopped and finally turned around. He walked up really close to me and gave me a fake smile before wordlessly picking me up.

"Woah!"

Suddenly, everything around us passed by in a flash and I had to shut my eyes because the wind was too strong. I clutched to Sebastian's chest and soon, the wind subsided and I found myself in front of the little cottage.

"How'd you know this was here?"

I looked up at the demon and his brows furrowed.

"Just a feeling."

He put me down and within the same second, William's weapon shot straight for Sebastian. He dexterously dodged the weapon. I followed the length of the silver pole with my eyes to see William at the other end.

"Are you always this rude? Seriously, what do you have against Sebastian?"

I gestured and turned to look at the butler only to realize he had disappeared.

"At least he's slightly less barbaric than other demons..."

I looked at William and he gave me a soft smile. I crossed my arms and gave him a sideways glance.

"So what do you want?"

Instead of answering my question, William dropped the weapon he always had in his hand and slowly walked towards me. When he was right in front of me, he hesitantly reached his arms out and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Hey! What're you doing?!"

As I was about to push him away, he whispered in my ear.

"Please..."

I paused and he continued.

"Just once more..."

I felt like if I pushed him away, he would completely shattered so I stood there and allowed him to hold me. A few minutes had passed when William cleared his throat and pulled away from me. He turned away from me as soon as I was out of his arms and he walked back to his weapon and picked it up.

"I apologize for what just happened. Now, shall we go?"

"Hmm...? Go where?"

William slightly turned around and offered me a hand. I stared at the hand and eventually took it. He gently tugged my arm and we walked into the cottage.

"Do you remember this place?"

"Wel...When I found it before, all that was familiar to me was the silver here..."

"I see..."

He pulled me upstairs and stopped in the bedroom.

"You know that you help made this cottage, right?"

"Yeah...but for whom?"

I glanced around the bedroom again and rested my eyes on William. He had an impossibly heartbroken expression and he extended his hand, palms up. In his hand, I see a woven silver ring and I reached out to touch it.

"I made this..."

Then, without saying anything, William grabbed my left hand and slipped it onto my ring finger. The ring fit perfectly and I was about to ask him about that when he pulled out another ring from his pocket. Unlike the one I was wearing, this ring was slightly larger and just a simple silver band.

"May I?"

He nodded and I reached out to touch the ring.

 _I made this too...but why?_

Then something caught my eye. I pulled the ring from his palm and looked on the inside to see some engrained letters.

"W & S...does it stand for-"

"William and Sterling."

 _I had a sneaking suspicion about all of this but how come I don't remember anything?_

"Were we...lovers?"

"We were."

"But how come I don't remember?"

I looked William in the eyes and I saw that tears had pooled up and threatening to fall. Taken back at the unusually emotional shinigami, I shut my mouth and just waited until he was ready to speak. Tears eventually streamed down his face and he slowly opened his mouth to speak.

"Your head was...c-," William's voice broke but he cleared his throat and finished the sentence," crushed."

"What?"

I felt my head reeling and I searched William's eyes for any hint of him joking but had to look away when I saw the pure and raw honesty in his eyes. I cast my glance on the floor and asked the burning question on my mind.

"How'd...that...happen?"

"Do you trust me?"

Looking up at the shinigami again, I pondered that question.

 _Do I trust him? I didn't at first but...he seems honest._

I took a deep breath and nodded my had. William immediately looked relieved.

"Well, as I said earlier, we were lovers. But when someone found out your ability to make silver, they kidnapped you using me as a hostage and forced you to make a considerable amount of silver."

"Then?"

"Then, you eventually expanded all energies succumbing to their selfishness. They locked you up in a cold basement and you couldn't keep up with the amount of energy you were absorbing. You started making less and less silver and one day, you couldn't make anymore."

"Then they got rid of me...or tried to, correct?"

William nodded and I realized something.

"But you are the first shinigami I've ever met. I don't remember meeting any before you."

"Do you know the origins of shinigamis?"

I shook my head.

"Shinigamis are humans who committed suicide. They are brought back to the world to as a punishment for taking their own lives and are forced to observe others' deaths until they are forgiven."

"So you..."

He nodded and I let out a heaving breath of air.

"But I can't imagine someone like you doing something irresponsible like that."

"I didn't think so either. But when I found you there..."

"You found me? Didn't you say you were a hostage?"

"That's what they told you to get you to work for them."

"Then how-"

"I was on a business trip that I had told you about but I fell ill and couldn't send the message back to you. They told you they had kidnapped me by showing you the ring you made. I thought I had lost it but I assume they swiped it from me somehow. But when I returned, you had left a letter telling me that if you made a certain amount silver, I would be released and that you were sorry. But...I'm the one who's sorry...I was never in danger and you...for my sake..."

William stared at the ground and I saw that he was slightly shaking with his hands covering his face, his weapon on the floor. I hesitantly walked up next to him and patted him on the back. However, the moment I touched him, he let out a gasp and sobs began racking his body. Seeing him like this, I felt I had responsibility to calm him down and I wrapped my arms around him. He hunched over, still weeping and I unconsciously started stroked his hair. This continued for what seemed like forever before he finally started calming down and his sobs turned into hiccups. During his breakdown, his hair had fallen onto his face and I glanced at his face.

"Oh!"

He looked up at my sudden exclamation and raised his eyebrows. I reached my hands out towards him slowly and removed his glasses. I peered into his face and suddenly felt a little shy because our faces were extremely close. I stared at his face and something clicked in my brain.

"William!"

Memories came flooding back into my mind.

 _I know this man! I...I loved this man!_

Although his eyes were now green, everything about his face look familiar. I shyly reached out and touched my fingertips on his cheek and he shut his eyes, seemingly filled with bliss and relief. He was the man I had seen in my dream the last time I was at the cottage except the man in front of me didn't have the beautiful and deep midnight eyes. Instead, they had replaced the startling greenish yellow eyes.

"Do you finally remember?"

He opened his eyes and stared into my eyes. I felt tears filling up and I nodded quickly. He gently caressed my hair and his hand eventually took my face. We continued looking at each other and I spoke up.

"I wish I could see your eyes again..."

William gave me a gently smile and responded while he swiped away the tear that had fallen with his thumb.

"I know."

We fell into silence once more and soon I found our face drawing together. But before our faces could get any closer, William pushed me back and I saw a silver knife slicing through the air between us.

"I would ask that you please refrain from touching the Phantomhive employees so casually."

My head snapped towards the direction of the velvety voice and sure enough, there he was. Sebastian was standing on a tree branch outside the cottage.

"Sebastian!"

When I uttered his name, the butler flew through the window and landed gracefully inside the cottage and immediately pulled me towards him.

"I apologize for interrupting but we have some urgent matters to take care of, so we'll be on our way."

Sebastian picked me up and shot out the cottage before William could react.

"Wait, Sebastian..."

My voice faltered when I saw the white hot fury burning in his now glowing eyes. I lost my will to speak and I fell silent. When we got back to the mansion, Sebastian set me down on my bed and just stood there, glowering at me.

"U-um..."

"Yes, Miss Sterling?"

"Why are you glaring at me?" I asked, my voice small.

"Hm I wonder why?"

He continued standing there and I tried speaking again.

"Um..could you...stop?"

"No."

I brought my legs up and hugged them to my chest as I continued looking at the butler. He looked really pissed but I was too afraid to speak again. He continued glowering at me before letting out a sigh.

"I just can't win with you..." Sebastian muttered.

"What did you say?"

His lips curled up in his signature smirk and he leaned in extremely close. I ripped my eyes from his and I leaned back on my elbows to try to avoid him. My legs straightened out so I could support the position but he just leaned in even closer.

"I see you think it's appropriate for a lady to share a bed with a man then go and kiss another man the very next day, huh? Seems like I need to give you more lessons on how to be a proper lady."

"We didn't actually kiss..."

He rested his right forearm into the bed next to my head and hovered above me and I froze. He brought his left hand to my face and lightly grazed my cheek but before I could open my mouth to speak, he lowered his face and pressed his lips against mine.

* * *

 **Well...now you know Will and Sterling's history! And FINALLY...THE FIRST KISS AHHHHHHHH I had wanted to have her figure it out eventually and slowly but again, the story seemed to have a mind of its own. Let me know how you reacted to everything!**

 **promocat: I know! I had thought Lizzie was a tad annoying but she is a genuine character in her own right**

 **Artist-kun: Now that you know...are you surprised? Disappointed? Let me know!**

 **ThePinkyNinja: Well the cat's out of the bag now (hehe)! Hope you enjoyed this :)**

 **BlackDragon2016: I'm happy you loved the chapter :) Thank you for reading.**

 **Kiseki: Honestly, I get minor-ly stuck sometimes so a lot of time I'm writing both chapters of my stories at the same time so I could let ideas "cook" in my mind while I worked on the other story.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Oh nooooooo! So much to do yet so little time! I won't waste time with this portion then :)**

 **I don't own Kutoshitsuji or any of its characters. I own characters and scenes not seen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

My eyes widened in shock.

 _Sebastian is...kissing me?_

His hands tangled in my hair and supported my head as he brought me to a sitting position. Sebastian pressed into me harder and his other hand traveled down to my lower back and pulled me into a tight one-handed hug. I jumped a little when I felt his warm tongue glide against my lower lip and without thinking, I let out a yelp. But, because he was kissing me so hard, I couldn't actually get the word out.

"Mmmm!"

I pushed against him with all my might and surprisingly, he stopped and wiped his lips off with his thumb as he looked me in the eye questioningly. I breathed hard and wiped off my mouth with the back of my hand.

"What the hell is with you?!"

For some reason, I felt tears welling up from my eyes and I looked up in the demon's eyes, which were still glowing, then I ran out the room. As I ran, I saw someone through my blurred vision and he called.

"Miss Sterling, are you okay?"

I accidentally ran into him and immediately, scenes not from my own life flooded my brain.

 _This happened before..._

Eventually, I came to and I looked up and saw Finni's face blocking my vision. He was holding me in his arms, presumably because he caught me when I passed out. I sat up unsteadily and made eye contact with the gardner.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for running into you! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? I'm so sorry!" As Finni gushed, I noticed his eyes were filling up with tears and I placed a hand on his cheek. Surprised, he blushed and all the tears in his eyes went way.

"Hmm? Wait, how are you okay?"

I gave Finni a smile and responded.

"I think the shock's worn off now. Since I've touched you before, I know better about what to expect."

"I don't get it but I'm just glad you're okay!" He gave me a brilliant smile that I wasn't able to return.

"Hey Finni..."

"Yes?"

"How long have you been working here?"

"At the manor? Hmm...about two years and it's been the best years of my life! Why?"

"You know how I passed out the last two times I touched you?"

"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?" He tilted his head, confused.

"Well, those times times I touched you, I got these visions that were...horrendous."

"What does that mean? And ooh, tell me about the visions!"

I felt my eyebrows furrowing and I asked him again just to make sure.

"You sure you'll be okay if I tell you?"

He nodded his head eagerly and stared into my eyes like a puppy who's waiting to be fed.

"Well...I saw these doctors that surrounded me and poked me with really large needles. I also felt really scared and I was in a cold dark room that had a small window really high up and sometimes birds would visit me."

As I spoke, Finni's face immediately fell and he turned a bit pale.

"You..you saw these images when you touched me?"

I gave him a serious nod and he looked at the floor. I rested a hand on his shoulder gently and asked.

"Are these visions what you went through?"

Finni looked back up at me and his eyes were, once again, filled with tears. He nodded and tears fell down his cheeks. I wrapped my arms around him and he began sobbing. But after a short while, he stopped and he held me out at arms length and regarded me with a determined face.

"That's all the past though! I'm here now and I can go outside everyday. I'm not back there anymore!"

I grinned at him and placed a hand on his soft golden hair and gave a small gasp of surprised. Finni noticed and he looked at me.

"Hmm?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Again, I'm sorry for running into you, Finni!"

"It's no problem, Miss Sterling."

"Just call me Sterling!"

We both stood up from the floor and smiled at each other. Finni's face were slightly rosy and he gave me another bright smile.

"I'll see you later then, Sterling! Well, better get back to work before Sebastian yells at me!"

He ran away after that but he didn't notice how my face fell a little at the mention of the butler's name. I sighed and muttered to myself.

"Poor Finni...wherever he came from, what those people did to him was incredibly cruel."

"What those people did?"

I spun around to see Sebastian standing there as if nothing had happened. His eyes had stopped glowing and I turned away from him.

"Oh, yeah I accidentally bumped into Finni earlier and I saw those visions again."

"I see. And why are those people cruel?"

"Why do you care?"

"Finni is a member of the Phantomhive staff. It is only natural I should know everything about the servants."

"Oh..well, I figured out why I had these visions."

We stood there in silence for a few moments before I continued, seeing as how Sebastian wasn't saying anything.

"Wherever Finni came from, those people had inserted a copious amount of silver into his brain."

"So that's why you were able to see what is essentially his memories...how very interesting."

"Now, if you'll excuse me," I said, before walking stiffly away from the butler. He continued standing there and I escaped to Lizzie's room. Once I shut the door, I leaned against it and let out a sigh.

"Hmm? Sterling? What are you doing in my room?"

I looked up and saw the young girl standing in front of a huge pile of dresses. I immediately plastered on a smile and responded as lightly as I could.

"Hmm, just wanted to check in on you."

"Really?! Then could you please try on these dresses? They're all SO cute but I can only wear one dress at a time..."

"Sure!"

 _Anything to keep me away from Sebastian for as long as possible._

As I played dress up with Lizzie, my thoughts wondered.

 _Why did I push him away? Why did he kiss me?_

Then my thoughts took a turn and I thought about when I met up with William.

 _How is he doing? Where is he right now? I wonder what it's like to be a shinigami...Maybe next time I should ask if I could tag along..._

I surprised myself with that thought. Since when had William had an equal, if not greater, standing in my thoughts? I shook my head in hopes that that would in turn erase my thoughts and Lizzie's voice brought my out of my trance.

"Don't move so much Sterling!"

"Oh! I'm sorry..." I mumbled and proceeded to be the perfect dress up mannequin. Lizzie pulled and tugged in several different places before clasping her hands together with a beaming smile.

"There! You look so adorable! Everyone's going to be jealous of you."

She pulled me up and dragged me in front of a mirror and I gasped internally.

 _Man...these things are super cute but just doesn't suit me..._

I smiled at her and gave a slight bow.

"Thank you, Lizzie. But I'm sure you would look much cuter in this than me."

Lizzie pouted and looked up at me.

"No, that's not true. We're both cute!"

"Haha if you say so!"

 _Hmm..spending time with such a bright and innocent girl really does refresh me. I don't feel so crappy anymore._

Suddenly, there was knock on the door and Lizzie responded.

"Yes?"

Sebastian opened the door with a cart and I immediately looked at everything except him. He pushed the cart with tea and snacks in and bowed.

"I have brought your afternoon tea"

"Thank you! Please put everything on my desk, Sebastian."

"Very well, Miss Elizabeth."

When he had finished setting everything up, the butler gave another bow and left the room.

"Let's take a break!"

Without a pause, Lizzie dragged me to her desk and plopped me down on the chair, then she took a seat herself.

"There's nothing better than Sebastian's tea and desserts!" She said before digging in. I looked down and looked at the amber liquid in my cup and at the red velvet cake in my plate. I didn't want to eat or drink, not only because there's no need for me to, but also I was confused. I was confused as to my feelings towards Sebastian and William and I couldn't bring myself to touch the food. I continued staring at it and Lizzie noticed.

"Oh, Sterling, why aren't you touching your food?"

"I'm not hungry...actually I have to go do something."

I stood up quickly and yelled a quick goodbye to the girl before running out her room. I dashed out of the mansions into the woods and began wandering aimlessly in the landscape. I touched the lively green plants and unconsciously smiled.

"Such pure and clean creatures..."

Then, I decided to go to the cottage to clear my head and distance myself from the current situation with Sebastian. But how would I get there? I started walking towards the direction of the cottage when I felt a divine presence. Without thinking, however, I called out.

"William!"

I heard a _whoosh_ and the shinigami dropped down from the sky in front of me.

"What is it?"

I took a look at him and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I walked towards him and looked up into his now green eyes.

"I want to go to the cottage."

His expression softened and he gently wrapped his arms around me.

"We can go there whenever you want."

Then William picked me up in a princess carry and took off into the forest. I clung to his chest like how I had when Sebastian brought me there but this time, I was holding on because I simply craved physical contact. Soon, he slowed down and he gently set me down in front of the crumbling cottage.

"This looks so..sad," I muttered as I walked toward the cottage.

"We could always rebuild it or just build another one."

I turned around and looked at William in surprise.

"Really?"

He flashed me a rare smile and I felt my heart race. But I remembered something.

"You told me shinigamis are to be punished until they are forgiven...does that mean you'll someday leave me?"

He looked away briefly before setting his gaze back on me.

"Yes but that process takes quite a while so we would still be able to be together for some time."

"I see..." I walked around the perimeter of the cottage and William followed close behind me. I dragged my fingertips across all the silver embedded in the cottage and sighed at the familiar warmth.

"It's been a while since I tried to make some."

I paused and cupped my hands together and focused. However, before anything happened, William tugged on my arm and spun me around to face him. He had an unusually anxious expression and he covered my hands with his own.

"Don't! Don't ever make it again..."

I glanced up at him and felt the warmth of his hands.

"Please...I don't want the past to repeat itself..."

He stared at my hands, now covered by his own, and it seemed like he was having flashbacks of the past and I automatically pulled out on of my hands and reached up towards his cheek. He continued staring down and my hand reached up to comb his soft black hair. Slowly, his face relaxed into a content smile and he made eye contact with me again.

"Just like old times..."

I couldn't help but smile as well. William weaved his fingers through mine and we strolled through the forest. I slowly began to enjoy myself holding a familiar hand when he suddenly stopped.

"Ugh..."

"What?"

William looked at me with regret and grumbled.

"I'm still currently clocked in so I have to go for work."

"Ahh, I see."

"Well, I'll take you back first."

I waved my hands and smiled.

"That's not necessary. I'll get back ther..." I stopped mid-sentence. Since when had the Phantomhive manor become my home? William shook his head lightly and picked me up.

"No, I won't let you say no. I'm bringing you back and that's that. I don't want to admit it but despite the fact that thing is living there, he protects you well."

I remained silent and allowed myself to be brought back to the mansion. William dropped me off in the backyard and gave me a kiss on my forehead before disappearing. I looked after him for a while before turning around and heading back into the mansion. But when I turned around, I made eye contact with Sebastian, who was standing in front of a mirror, and his eyes flashed fuchsia for a second before he turned away and disappeared.

* * *

 **Ooh! Things are a bit awkward now huh...and honestly, I still don't know who Sterling is going to end up with. She is extremely comfortable with William and her past feelings are present, but Sebby is just wreaking havoc inside her heart...UGH I want to know what's going to happen HAHA I'm sorry I can't provide you with the answer...FOR NOW!**

 **Artist-kun: I changed my summary because of your review! I've been wanting to change it for a while and now, like I mentioned earlier, I don't know how this is going to play out**

 **BlackDragon2016: I know! I'm extremely torn too! I don't know how Sebastian feels towards Sterling as of now but I have a fairly good idea..**

 **ThePinkyNinja: I'm SORRY! Thins just happened...**

 **promocat: I know! Now I kinda want them to be together..**

 **P3nnn: LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS! I know you ship Sebby and Sterling and I used to too...but now...I'm not sure..**


	18. Chapter 18

**Well...remember how in the beginning I said I'd only post a new chapter when I was finished the next chapter? Well that's definitely not the case right now. I have homework and stuff to do so I always end up writing the chapter the day I post them...haha. Also posting twice a week is getting kind of difficult. But I'll still do my best to update twice a week. But the thing is, I feel like the story is going to end soon, so after this, I'm probably going to take a break. Hope you guys understand!**

 **On another note...sorry this chapter was so short!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters and events that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

The next few days were surprisingly...boring. I wandered around the mansion and tagged along with its inhabitants and Sebastian treated me as a guest and nothing more. I don't know if I was more disappointed or relieved that I had my own space. I walked down the hall and knocked on Ciel's study before entering. He looked up for a second before looking back down.

"Did I say you could enter?"

"No, you didn't."

I responded before plopping myself down on a sofa chair that's been recently put inside his study. I snickered before speaking again.

"If you didn't want me to come in here, then why did you even put this chair here? It's not like you'd ever sit here and even if Lizzie visits, you know there's no way she'd just sit here and watch you work."

Ciel kept his eyes down but I could see a slight pink tint blossoming on his pale face and he just continued working without responding. Then, there was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal Sebastian. I pretended not to see him and just sat there quietly. He walked to Ciel and handed him a sealed letter. Ciel opened the letter and read it before standing up.

"We're going to Paris. Sebastian, make the necessary preparations."

"Yes, my lord."

"Paris?" My eyes widened in excitement. "I've never been to Paris!"

"This isn't going to be some vacation. We're going there for a job."

I felt my face fell but my excitement didn't subside. Whether it was a vacation or a job, I just wanted to be around my new family even if Sebastian were there. Things were still a bit awkward but other than him kissing me, he hasn't made me excessively uncomfortable to the point I didn't want to be around him.

"Well, I'm going with you."

Ciel looked at me for a few seconds before starting to walk out the door.

"Whatever."

He walked out of the door and I just sat there, not sure if I could go or not. I jumped up and ran after the boy and caught up really quickly.

"Does this mean I can come with you?"

I asked, skipping next to him with a smile threatening to show.

"Just don't get in my way," he huffed.

I threw my arms around him, stopping him in his track and I squealed.

"Thanks so much! I've never ever been anywhere but this area!"

"MMM lemme go!" Ciel protested, his voice muffled by my hair.

I let go of the boy and beamed at him, forgetting all my worries in my moment of excitement.

"Oops, sorry haha," I apologized sheepishly.

Ciel glared at me before retreating to his room. He shut the door in my face and I just smiled.

"Heh, why can't he just be more honest with his feelings?"

"I could say the same for you, Miss Sterling."

I spun around and saw Sebastian standing there. I froze because I didn't know how to react to his sudden appearance.

"Say what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"You should be more honest with your feelings, Miss Sterling."

"Hah...I don't know what you're talking about...well I need to go pack so, bye!"

I turned around quickly, hoping to escape from him when I felt him grab my hand.

"What do you need to pack? The hairbrush that he gave you?"

"Hmm?" I struggled against him and made eye contact with Sebastian.

His eyes were glowing again.

I stopped struggling because I knew that there was no way I could shake him off. I calmed myself down mentally and stood my ground, looking back at the demon with an unwavering gaze. He looked back at me and we stayed like that for a few minutes before Sebastian suddenly started chuckling.

"Why are you looking at me with such passion?"

My cheeks flared up and I responded.

"Stop making things up! I'm trying to stand my ground and not let you intimidate me!"

"Oh? My goodness. You've become awfully bold, haven't you, Miss Sterling?"

I felt my cheeks burn even hotter and as I was about to sass him back, Sebastian suddenly pulled me into a snug hug.

"Wha-"

"You're finally back to yourself."

Sebastian pulled away from me slightly and poked an index finger between my eyebrows.

"You've been frowning ever since you went to meet with that shinigami."

"Really?"

I looked up and made eye contact with him. Sebastian had an easy smile on his face and he leaned in.

"You've been avoiding me."

"I have not."

"Yes, you have. Do you know how much I missed you talking back to me?"

I turned my head to the sides and mumbled my response.

"You'll need to speak up if you want me to hear you, Miss Sterling."

"I know perfectly well you heard me," I huffed, still trapped in his arms.

I saw his head move down from my peripheral vision and I felt his lips graze the side of my neck.

"What are you doing?!"

As I moved my arms up to push him away, I felt a sharp pain on my neck. Then, he released me with a satisfied smirk. I clasped a hand to where I felt the pain and stared at Sebastian.

"What was that? What'd you do to me?"

I braced myself against the wall because last time he hurt me, I ended up passing out. He chuckled and put a finger to his lips with a closed eye smile.

"It's a secret."

Just as I opened my mouth to question him more, Ciel's bedroom door opened and Sebastian immediately had his poker face on while I continued staring at him in disbelief.

"Oi, what took you so long? Is everything prepared?"

"Yes, my lord. The tickets are for two days from today."

Sebastian responded without missing a beat and pulled out three tickets.

 _When did he get those?_

Ciel turned his gaze on me and gave me another warning.

"This isn't vacation. Since you're coming with me, make sure you don't get in my way if you can't help."

I nodded quickly and promised.

"Don't worry, I won't get in your way. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it!"

Then, something magical happened.

Ciel smiled.

Well, it was more of a smirk but still..he _smiled._

"Woah!"

"I'll hold you to that promise then."

With that, Ciel walked passed me with Sebastian and left the mansion while I just stood there, still trying to process what had just happened.

* * *

Then, finally, the day came and the mansion was bustling with activity. All four of the servants plus Sebastian were packing and bringing things to the carriage and I just stood next to Ciel silently, not knowing what to do. He was staring outside the window and I just looked outside too. But I couldn't stand the silence anymore so I spoke up.

"So what's this job you're going to Paris for?"

Ciel continued looking outside and I thought he was ignoring me so I shut my mouth disappointingly and continued looking outside.

"I'm not too sure myself."

"What? You're going all this way to Paris and you don't even known what you're gonna do?"

"Well, not exactly...anyways, just make sure you stay close because even I don't know is going to happen."

"Sounds dangerous..."

"You can still back out."

"No. I'm coming with you."

"Just remember to-"

"Not get in your way. I know. Come on, Ciel. Didn't I help you on your last job? I'd think you could trust me by now."

"I don't trust anyone."

My eyes widened and I looked at his profile.

"Not even Sebastian?"

"The only reason I can trust him to a certain point is because we have a contract."

"I see."

We stood there for the rest of the preparation period in silence and soon, it was time to leave.

"Let's go," Ciel declared. I took a deep breath and followed him out of the mansion.

* * *

 **Sorry it's so short! I'm having a bit of a writer's block you could say...plus I have a lot of homework I need to do so that stress is blocking my flow haha Anyways, thanks for understanding! :)**

 **promocat: this is so hard! I don't know what's gonna happen in the future...**

 **ThePinkyNinja: Thank you! Haha I don't know if I'd call myself brilliant..but thanks :)**

 **P3nnn: honestly? I DON'T KNOW EITHER...GAHHHHH I'm just as frustrated as you guys**

 **A fan of many Stuffs: Thank you! And I can't promise anything...in case you didn't read it from my earlier response to reviews or the previous chapter, I don't know what's going to happen in the future...I originally started this story as a oneshot of Sterling and Sebastian but 17 chapters later..nothing is going as planned haha**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi everyone! I'm actually starting this on WEDNESDAY as opposed to THURSDAY! Oh my..time's a-changing! I don't know if that's from a quote from a movie or something but if it is, I DON'T OWN IT! Haha anyways, I'm not sure how this will turn out but hopefully it'll be better than the last chapters...I threw in the ending plot line from the first season of the anime so if you haven't seen it (which I doubt since you're reading fanfic for Kuroshitsuji...but I don't know...if you haven't seen it...WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?!), SPOILERS AHEAD! I'm using the plot because I was kind of stuck so I used it as a bit of a helping hand so don't mind me! Of course, the plot might be slightly different so be prepared for that...and without further ado, here you go!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsutji or any of its characters but I own characters and events not seen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

We arrived in Paris and my jaws dropped to the ground. Ciel had made me wear English clothes that covered up most of my skin but I couldn't help but push the rim of my hat up a bit to take in the scene.

"Woah!"

"Oi Sterling. Keep your head down and just follow me."

Ciel reached up and tugged at the rim of my hat and soon all I could see were the pavements. I gave a huff of disappointment and began trailing Ciel. Sebastian walked next to me and carried our luggages. We got into a carriage that dropped us off at a townhouse.

"Wow you even have a house here?" I asked in amazement as I looked around the unfamiliar place.

"Of course. The Phantomhive family has countless hideouts all over Europe. This isn't anything amazing."

Ciel responded curtly before walking off briskly. I caught up with him and he gave me a slide glare.

"What?" I asked, not sure what I did to deserve that.

He continued glaring at me until he sighed and brought a hand to his head.

"Sebastian, show her to her room."

"Yes. This way, please, Miss Sterling."

I stared at the boy's back before leaving with Sebastian. I walked a few feet behind him, afraid he'd attack me again and I timidly opened my mouth.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Young master has a lot on his mind at the moment."

"Ah..I see."

Sebastian abruptly stopped and despite me staying a few feet behind him, I still managed to run into him.

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Do you really see what's going on?"

"Uh, Ciel came to Paris to see the Queen?"

"You've lived for almost as long as I have yet you still see the world in such a manner? You disappoint me, Sterling."

Sebastian's suddenly cruel remark jabbed me right in the heart and I stepped back a few steps in silence. We stood there for a fe more seconds before Sebastian began walking down the hall. Soon, he stopped in front of a door and spoke without turning around.

"Here is your room. Have a good night."

With that, he walked away and disappeared down the dark hallway.

"What's with the two of them? They're both being so...curt today...Did I do anything?"

I walked into the room and settled on the bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up and went downstairs to find Ciel having breakfast. I wordlessly sat across from him and watched him eat before speaking up.

"So what're we doing today?"

Ciel took his time to chew and he sipped his tea as he responded.

"We will go to the exhibit next to where they're building the Eiffle Tower and go from there."

"What's the purpose of this trip? What's this job that you had to come all the way to Paris for it?"

"I told you even I don't know how this is going to turn out. Just be quiet and follow me."

I stared at the boy and wondered why this fetus of a living being was dragging me around but I decided to just let it go. He has been accommodating me for the last few weeks and I'm glad I've been able to stick around.

Ciel finished his breakfast and he stood up.

"Get ready to go out," he declared and marched out of the dining hall.

I went back to my room and donned my attire and slipped on my shoes. By now, I've had some practice in walking with heels and since I also had exceptional balance, I now walk completely normal with them. I met Ciel and Sebastian downstairs and got into the awaiting carriage that took us to a grand exhibit hall.

"I heard that there is a stuffed angel on display in the Palace of Wonders," Sebastian said.

Ciel immediately looked troubled.

"Could it be...?"

He dashed into the hall where the angel was on display and looked relieved. In the large glass display that was surrounded by all the people was a white furred monkey with seemingly real angel wings.

"What, it's just a stuffed monkey? What a bore."

Ciel turned around and began walking away without a second thought.

"Let's be on our way."

However, within several seconds, screams filled the room and the monkey burst out of the glass walls and charged towards us. Sebastian pushed Ciel out of the way and I caught him in my arms. The flying monkey flew in a circle and broke all the lamps in the hall and it fell into darkness. I felt Ciel breathing a bit heavily and I whispered in his ears.

"I'm here. Don't worry."

His breaths calmed down a bit and he pushed me away.

"Who said I was worried?"

"Sterling, take Ciel out of here," Sebastian commanded and I just nodded. I grabbed his small hand and began running outside. Soon, we burst out of the hall into the blinding outside.

"Man, it's bright!"

"I agree!"

We squinted our eyes until they adjusted and found that we were standing in the courtyard. There was a fountain in the middle and I heard Ciel quietly gasp. I followed his gaze and saw a beautiful woman with lavender eyes and short white hair.

"Who's that?"

Ciel didn't respond; instead, he grabbed my hand and pulled me away from her.

"Hey! Wait! Why're you running?"

He ran towards a building but as we got closer, I saw a sign in front of the door.

"Wait, Ciel! It says it's under construction!"

"No time," he huffed as he dragged me into the building. We ran up several flights of stairs and into a large box-like structure and Ciel slid the door closed and tried to catch his breath. I just stood by him silently when I realized another presence in the structure.

"Goodness gracious, you're in a hurry."

We both turned our heads to look at the the owner of that young girlish voice and Ciel's eyes opened wide.

"You're..."

"Ciel. It's been a long time."

"Your Majesty!"

"This is the Queen of England?"

I scrutinized the veil covering her face and gasped internally at what I felt from her presence. I could sense generally what someone's true self was like through the feel of their presence and what I felt from the queen gave me goosebumps.

"Hey, Ciel. We should go-"

As I began to warn him, the structure began to move and Ciel held on to the wall to keep balance. I looked outside the window and my eyes widened in amazement. I could see the countless buildings and landscapes spreading across the earth. Ciel, on the other hand, was still looking dumbstruck at the queen. She slightly turned her head and addressed the boy.

"Look at the view from up here."

Ciel obediently turned his head towards the window and the queen started talking.

"As she faces the next century, Europe is on the verge of change. However..."

As she spoke, a large black spots appeared all over the city and the queen continued speaking.

"...there's a stain over there. There's stagnation over there..."

Then she lifted an arm and pointed her slender finger at Ciel.

"...There's uncleanliness here. The entire slate must be wiped clean. There can be no creation without destruction. In order for the new century to be pure, I cleansed the house that has taken on all that is negative in our nation: the house of Phantomhive."

I heard Ciel gasp and I turned to look at him. He was unusually pale and his eyes were wide open. I slightly nudged him with my elbow and whispered.

"You alright?"

He didn't respond and continued staring at the queen. After we stopped moving, the queen walked out of the contraption and we followed behind. As we climbed what seemed like endless stairs, she gleefully sung:

 _London bridge is falling down,  
falling down.  
London bridge is falling down,  
my fair lady._

The queen continued singing incessantly and I had to focus hard not to smack her to shut her up. When we were almost at the top, Ciel stopped and stared after the queen, who was still walking up the stairs. He had a determined look on his face and I noticed him clenching his fist. I chose not to talk to him since he hasn't responded to my last few attempts of asking him a question so I just wordlessly stood next to him until he started climbing the stairs again.

When we were finally on the top, the queen was still humming that annoying song and Ciel interrupted her.

"May I ask you something?'

"What is it?"

"You didn't just kill them; you made them beastly. Why?"

"Mind your language, Ciel. I _cleansed_ them."

"That's what you called 'cleansing'? By demeaning the dead?"

"Demeaning the dead?" The queen's head tilted, as if that thought never occurred to her.

"That's right!" Ciel shouted angrily.

"Demeaning...? I merely wanted to pay what tribute I could to the Phantomhives after they showed me such loyalty..."

The queen took her face in her heads as if she as crying.

"What?!" Ciel asked, looking like he was about to run up and choke the queen.

Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew over the platform and when that passed, both Ciel and I gave a loud gasp. The queen's veil had been blown off and the person standing before us was a young girl who seemed to be no older than twelve with an expression of someone who was much older. Before any of us could speak, we heard a deep rumbling chuckle from behind us and we spun around.

"Surprised? She's all but aglow with youth, isn't she?"

The owner of the voice was a tall beautiful man with white hair and lavender eyes who was suspiciously similar to the woman we saw by the fountain just a few minutes prior. He was sitting on one of the large balls that decorated the fence on the platform and he lightly jumped down and began walking towards us.

"Ash!" Ciel choked out.

"The loss of her beloved husband ended Her Majesty's days of happiness. In her grief over his death, Her Majesty once tried to take her own life..."

As the man named Ash spoke, he gestured his arms and hands in a manner that was completely unnecessary. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach just watching him but I stood close to Ciel, prepared for what might happen in the near future.

"...I joined his body with her own, so that she may live with the man she loved forever."

He walked next to the queen, who looked pleased at the vulgar obscenities Ash was spewing out. She fidgeted with her hands and spoke up.

"I can tell my husband is pleased with my work," the queen said with a gentle smile on her face as she brought her hands up to her heart. "His body twinges inside me...bubump...bubump...This is the throbbing of life."

She makes eye contact with Ciel and smiled again.

"The joy of truly becoming one with with the one you love, I felt that if I gave the Phantomhives that same joy, it would not be a ghastly death at all."

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a little..." I muttered, glaring at the queen.

As if these weren't disgusting enough to cause negative reactions from Ciel, Ash spoke up again.

"The queen and her husband firmly intended to to guide England to a world of perfect light. That aim has purged them of their own impurities, transforming Her Majesty into the chaste girl you see in front of you. What a lofty aim! She is a worthy master of an angel."

"Angel? Wow..."

I looked at the man in front of me and couldn't help but admire the number of the so-called supernatural beings since I first stumbled upon the Phantomhive manor: Angel, demon, demon hound, and even shinigamis.

"Angel?! Don't tell me you're-" Ciel accused, tensing his body as if he's prepared to fight.

"Ash, at least let Ciel fall to your blade. Ash's blade is a thing of beauty. It goes forth as the brightness of the new century."

I tensed my body and prepared to fight. I could feel the tension in the air and I have no intention of letting Ciel die at the hands of such disgraceful divine beings. Ash began unsheathing his sword as he spoke.

"I shall draw my sword against thy wisdom, and I shall punish the beast within thee. I shall bring thee down to the pit. May an immaculate heaven greet thee, Ciel Phantomhive."

Ash pointed his sword at us and, as if drawn to us, the sword, and Ash, flew towards us. I pulled Ciel out of the way and I heard a loud metal clang. I turned around, pushing Ciel behind my back, and saw that Sebastian had arrived. He was locked in a stalemate with Ash. I looked closer and saw something.

"Are you fighting with silverware?!"

Sebastian turned towards me and gave me a closed eye smile.

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?"

"Of course there is! How are you going to go against a fricken ANGEL with a holy sword with just SILVERWARE?!"

I found myself yelling at him in frustration and he just smirked at me again.

"You're quite arrogant to be distracted in a battle with an angel, Sebastian Michaelis," Ash spitted as he lunged forward. Sebastian jumped up into a backflip and landed next to us. He turned towards the angel and smirked again.

"Your precious sword is meaningless if you can't land a blow. This may be the end, young master."

My eyebrows went up when I fully registered what this meant.

"No..." I whispered, as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I wasn't ready for this to all end..I've had the best time of my long life at the side of this young living creature and everything just passed by too quickly.

"Your orders?"

"Ciel..." the queen murmured, waiting for what's to come.

"Kill Ash."

"Will that be all, my lord?"

"Kill the Queen!"

"Ciel!" The queen called out as Sebastian jumped high into the air. He threw a bunch of silver knives at the queen and Ash blocked the attack. Then he also jumped into the air and the angel and demon engaged in a fierce battle. I couldn't help but chuckle and Ciel looked at me in bewilderment.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I just thought how funny it is that a demon and an angel are fighting right in front of me. I guess they have been pitted against each other since the beginning."

"How dreadful! Ciel, please, stop him! Ciel!"

As the fought, Ash's sword carved into the steel beams of the tower and large pieces of metal fell down with a whooshing sound towards the grounds below. Ciel ran to the fence in distraught and yelled at Sebastian.

"Sebastian, stop!"

He jumped down in front of us with his silver knives still in his hand.

"Why?"

"We've attracted attention. At the rate, the commotion will only get bigger."

I noticed Sebastian's presence tinge with a dark red rage and I involuntarily shivered.

"Why should we bother about them, my lord? They're only humans."

"No, we're withdrawing!"

Then Sebastian slowly turned around with an expression I've never seen before. During this interuption, Ash had picked up the queen and spread his snowy white wings. I gritted my teeth and focused. All the silverware Sebastian had on his person flew towards Ash and the queen and glowed white with heat.

"Tch!" I heard Ash grunt in pain, as the silverware embedded itself into his wings and his back. I felt my lips curl up in a cruel smile as I saw some satisfying patches of red blossoming on the angel's back. However, he continued flying away and soon disappeared across the horizon.

* * *

 **Hi! I hope this chapter was better than the last! It's finally the length I want it to be so hehe hope you enjoyed!**

 **promocat: yup! He's so cute haha**

 **Eddingsfan: I know! William took a backseat in this chapter but we'll see what happens~~~**

 **ThePinkyNinja: I hope you weren't too disappointed!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello everyone! I'm currently stuck on an essay I have to write for one of my classes and so, of course, I decided to write fanfic! Haha that's probably not good especially since the essay is due on Tuesday...perhaps I should've started the essay sooner...ugh I'm horrible :( Anyways, I have a feeling this is ending soon but I'm not sure how many more chapters I'll write...I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who read this story and especially to those of you who followed/favorited/reviewed. You guys make me super happy :) Without further ado, here you go!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other** ** _stuff_** **that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

When we went back to the townhouse, I noticed something strange. Sebastian had lost all of his usual snarky attitude and was treating Ciel in a simply professional attitude. I knew he always did his job perfectly but there was an emptiness in the way he was treated the young lord. I furrowed my brows as I watched their interaction at dinner and decided to go take a bath before Ciel had finished eating.

When I finished, I walked out of the bathroom to see Sebastian outside a door, seeming to have just closed it.

"Did you put Ciel in bed?"

He looked at me with an unusually blank face and I could feel his beyond-annoyed attitude prickling my skin. I sighed and walked up to him.

"What happened?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Sterling."

I glared up at him before speaking.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're not usually like this so spill it."

"Oh my, _now_ you're acting like you care? How shallow, Miss Sterling."

"Give me a break, Sebastian. Don't tell me you're holding a grudge against me?"

"Why would I ever harbor such a _human_ emotion?"

I found myself rolling my eyes and I scoffed.

"Well okay then. If you're talking back like this, I'll pretend there's nothing wrong."

I turned around and walked away. I went back to my room and shut the door. Leaning against the door, I sighed then focused. Sebastian's presence slowly moved away from Ciel's room then abruptly shot out of the house.

"He actually left..."

I let out a deep sigh and decided in my brain that I would look out for Ciel until Sebastian returns, knowing he was not the type of creature to abandon a soul he spent so much time and effort cultivating. Having decided that, I left my room and turned into my cat form. I reached Ciel's door and curled down in front of the door. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted into sleep.

The next morning, I woke up as the sun began to rise and as I stretched out my stiff body, I heard commotion inside Ciel's room.

"Sebastian...?"

Then I heard doors being opened and closed and the more they opened and closed, the more desperate Ciel began to sound.

"Sebastian!...Sebastian, where are you? Where's the morning tea? Can't you hear me?"

However, then I heard a dragged out silence. I switched to my human form and immediately went to his room to see Ciel was trying to dress himself. He looked up and frowned.

"Sorry, I'm not Sebastian," I snorted, knowing I wasn't the first person he wanted to see.

"Do you know where he went?"

I shook my head and felt my hair swooshing around my neck.

"No, but I know he left this place."

"Left...?"

Ciel feel deep into thought. Meanwhile, I walked up towards him and giggled as I reached my hand out to try to tie the bow on his neck. I've seen how they look so I did my best to imitate it and after several tries, the bow was perfect. I moved my head back and looked at my work in pride. Ciel's mind was still way out there and I pinched his soft cheek.

"Wha...What are you doing?!"

"You looked like you were thinking to hard. Did you even noticed I tidied you up?"

He started and glanced down. Seeing he was actually dressed properly, he mumbled.

"Thanks..."

"What was that? Could you say it a bit louder?"

Ciel glared at me.

"You're being tedious."

"Hehe I know. I just couldn't help but tease you a bit, my lord."

He rolled his eyes before grabbing his coat and hat.

"Well, we need to get back to London. I think we can manage at least that."

"Are you sure? Do you even have any money on you?"

"Uh...," Ciel hesitated, as he patted around his pockets and looked through the things in his room.

"No."

"Then how are we supposed to get back?"

He brought his hand up to his chin and I could see his mind working. A few seconds later, he looked up at me.

"There's not choice. We'll have to sneak onto a ship."

I gave him a smirk and tried to imitate Sebastian's bow.

"Yes, my lord."

A few hours after we left Paris and finally arrived in a city by the ocean, I heard Ciel's stomach began to growl. I snickered as I looked at him.

"Hey you hungry?"

He blushed in embarrassment and immediately denied it.

"Of course not!"

"Comon...quit lying to me. I may not be a demon but I still have exceptional senses compared to a human."

Ciel became quiet but I could tell he was trying to nurse his pride. I patted him on the head and pulled him into an alley.

"Alright I'll get you something to eat. Just stay here, alright? I'll be back soon."

I heard him begin to protest but before he could, I turned into a cat and ran away. By now, it was late afternoon but I could smell bakeries in my nearby vicinity. I went to the closest one to me and observed the store. There weren't any customers inside and baker was busy straightening something. I snuck into the store to look around when I realized something.

 _There's no way he'll eat this if I had to carry it in my mouth...but I can't put it in a paper bag right now plus that would be too loud. I gotta do something else..._

I went near the baker and saw that he had left a bag of coins on the counter. While he turned away, I swiped the bag and turned into a human form.

"Excuse me," I called out, causing the man to jump.

"Jesus, you scared me!"

I laughed light heartedly and responded.

"I would like some bread please."

"Sure, go ahead and pick what you like."

He said with a smile before his face changed.

"You look a bit...odd."

"Thank you very much!"

I grabbed few of the baked goods and put it in a paper bag I got from the baker and went up to him. He told me how much it costed and I handed him the pouch full of coins.

"Hmm? Didn't someone else give me this?"

He searched his countertop and saw that the pouch was no longer there. Before he could call out to me, I quickly exited the store and, turning into my cat form, ran back to where Ciel was with the paper bag in my mouth. When I got back to him, he had curled up in a ball on the ground and I dropped the bag in front of him before turning back.

"Here."

Ciel looked up before he opened the bag. His stomach growled again loudly and I saw a pink tint on his cheeks.

"Oh, for goodness's sake, just eat already!"

Within the next five minutes, Ciel had finished all the food and he finally looked a little less tired and a little more happy.

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.

"Ready to go?"

A few minutes later with my help, we found the port. By now, the sun was set and the streets were deserted. As we walked through the area, I gave Ciel a sideways glance and couldn't help but poke fun at him.

"What would you have done if I wasn't here? You're so high and mighty but no one here knows you. If you had asked for help, they would've just brushed you off or ignored you."

He just pretended not to hear me and scanned the waters. His eyes stopped on a commercial ship that was boarding and he made eye contact with me.

"Let's go."

We ran towards the ship and, as a lesson for him for being such a spoiled kid, I turned to my cat form and easily slipped on deck. I found a place with a bunch of boxes and cargo and stopped there. I lied down and focused on the presence of all the people on the ship and waited to feel when Ciel would get on. After about half an hour, I finally felt his presence. I patiently waited in my hiding spot, laughing internally at imagining him trying to find me and another half hour later, after the ship had already sailed, he finally seemed to be heading towards my location. When he got near enough, I jumped up and lazily walked from my hiding spot to see him. He had taken his hat off and pieces of hair was stuck to his forehead from the sweat. I turned back to my human form and smirked at him.

"Took you long enough."

"Would've..taken..less time..if...you didn't ditch...me," he huffed, still recovering.

"Wow, you are seriously weak."

That little comment earned a glare from the heaving boy and I pulled him closer to me so others wouldn't see.

"What are you doing?!"

I pushed him on top of one of the crates and he fell on his butt.

"You should sit down if you're tired."

While I let him recover, I continued scanning our surroundings when I felt a particular presence. I gave Ciel a warning look and he immediately jumped between the cargo and held his breath. The presence came closer and closer and when it was right next to me, I looked to see an odd...man(?) looking at me. He had long grey hair and a huge scar across his face. He was wearing a weird looking back top hat that matched his long black robe with super long sleeves. I couldn't see his face, as it was obstructed by his long bangs, but I knew from what I felt this was a shinigami: he emitted the same neon green aura as William although it wasn't as large of an aura. But don't get me wrong, his aura, although not quite as large, is just as brilliant, if not more, than William's. I could tell he was no ordinary being.

"Heeheehee, I've found you, Earl."

I felt all the hairs on my body stand up when I heard his creepy broken laugh. I hugged my arms and shot Ciel a questioning glance.

"Undertaker?!"

"You know this guy? Geez, how many supernatural beings are you associated with?"

Ciel waved his hand to brush me off. He came out from his hiding spot and double checked to make sure there was no one around. The Undertaker gave off another eerie laugh and spoke.

"What are you doing here?"

"See, that fussy bloke Will captured me..Apparently, he'll be shorthanded in the London area, so he roped me promising he'll waive my library fines."

"Will? As in William?" I asked. The Undertaker turned his face towards me.

"Hmm? Who is this? You know Will?"

I ran my fingers through my hair and let out an embarrassed laugh.

"Well..."

But Ciel interrupted before I had a change to continue.

"The London area?" Ciel asked, his eyes turning serious.

"Yes, we have to collect a great many souls in London tonight," Undertaker responded, turning his head back towards the young boy.

With this, Ciel immediately perked up.

"Why are you so interested in this?"

I tilted my head in confusion when we heard a commotion.

"Look at that!"

"What is it?!"

Undertaker just gave off another one of his laughs.

"Ah, so it's begun."

During our conversations, we had reached the London shores and when we ran to the front of the ship, I gasped.

The entire London area was engulfed in brilliant red flames and people began to panic.

Undertaker gave off a whistle and commented casually.

"They certainly put on quite the show! I must be on my way..."

I stared the scene before me and saw, out of my peripheral vision, Ciel grabbing onto Undertaker's sleeve.

"Why did you find me?"

"You and I have a lot of history together. So I thought I'd give you a fair warning...My lord, in just a little while...you will die."

I turned around at what I heard to see the Undertaker had a smile on his face.

"What...?"

Then a woman screamed. Ciel and I automatically turned to her but when I turned my head back, the Undertaker had disappeared.

"What a weirdo..," I muttered as I turned towards Ciel. Suddenly, the boat stopped moving forward.

"What's going on?"

Ciel ran towards to a man, presumably one of the crew members and asked.

"What's going on? Why did we stop?"

He sighed and looked at the flames.

"At this point, there's no way we can dock. We'll have to hang out here for a while."

"No! I need to get back there! Get me a rowboat I need to get to that other ship!"

He glances down at Ciel in condescension.

"Who do you think you are, to give me commands? You're just a brat. If you had money..that would be a different story though."

I watched Ciel desperately think of a way to get a boat when I got an idea. I cupped my hands together and focused. Soon enough, a little bit of silver emerged from my palm. The man's eyes grew wide open and became glued to my hands.

"H-how is she doing that?"

Ciel looked at me and just waited wordlessly. A few minutes passed and I felt a sweat drip down my forehead.

"Man I'm really rusty..." I muttered, as the mound of silver began to grow.

When the metal in my hands was about the size of an eyeball, I handed it to the man.

"Here, this should be enough right?"

He just took the silver with in shock. He got the row boat ready for us. As we went further away from the boat, I couldn't help but scoff.

"Wow, he was rude. I worked so hard to make that yet he doesn't even say anything."

Ciel continued to wordlessly sit there.

I glanced at him as I rowed the boat and poked him in the stomach with my foot.

"Hey! Respond when someone's talk to you!"

He blinked several times and he made eye contact.

"You said you were Argenymph right?"

"Mmm? Yeah. I'm the silver nymph."

"I see..."

Soon, we arrived on the other boat and within the next ten minutes, it docked by the piers close to London. We got off the boat and looked at each other before nodding.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **So I tried to add in some details in here so hopefully it worked! And I'm sorry William hasn't really been around in the story. He's been busy doing his work and trying not to do overtime haha. But worry not, he'll appear in the next chapter (I think and I hope).**

 **ThePinkyNinja: I don't want to sound conceited but I also laughed out loud when I reread that part about Sterling yelling at Sebas-chan for fight an angel with just silverware xD**

 **Kiseki: Thank you! And no worries! I'm just happy you reviewed :) I hope you're taking care of your health! Wouldn't want you to get sick again**

 **promocat: Yeah! He always wear a mask but it's not too hard to figure him out. He's still only a boy after all**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello! So I ended up not doing so well on my midterm...I really don't like math D: Haha oh and for those of you who follow my other story, I can' promise I'll be able to update today..just saying...SORRY D:**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other _stuff_ that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

We ran up the stairs from where we got off the boat and halted to a stop. Everything in front of us was consumed in burning flames. I heard people screaming in fear and moaning in pain. Bodies scattered the ground and people were running away from the flames.

"This is the definition of chaotic if I've ever seen it…"

"Is this hell?"

I looked at Ciel as he mumbled and I placed a hand on his hair.

"Comon, let's go."

He continued staring at the scene in front of him so I grabbed his hand and headed into the chaos. As we walked, I kept glancing at Ciel to make sure he was doing okay. He was walking in a daze and I had to jerk him to a stop.

"Huh? What?"

He blinked several times and I scoffed.

"Watch where you're going!"

He looked down and saw that he was about to step on a corpse and mumbled.

"Oh, sorry."

I continued tugging him along until I heard something familiar.

"Did you hear that?"

Ciel nodded and I listened carefully.

"It's coming from that direction!"

We broke out into a run and before we arrived, I felt a familiar presence. Sure enough, as we continued towards the sound, I saw the maid helping a young boy from getting crushed from a falling beam.

"Mey-Rin!" I called out as we ran towards her.

"Hmm? Sterling?! And…bo-chan? What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Ciel snapped back, suddenly back to his own self. Mey-Rin looked as if she was in tears.

"It's…it's Plu-Plu!"

"Pluto?"

"So that's what I heard…."

As I said that, another demonic roar filled the air.

"We should go…"

"The others are trying to get Plu-Plu to calm down," Mey-Rin said, sounding extremely stressed.

"The others? Don't tell me…"

Mey-Rin nodded at Ciel's remark and he shook his head in annoyance.

"Take me to them."

With that, all three of us ran into the heart of the burning city and as we ran, I noticed something on the Big Ben. I yelled over the burning flames and collapsing buildings.

"There! The demon hound is on the Big Ben!"

Everyone's eyes looked at where I said and sure enough, a big white mass was there and streams of fire shooting out of the mass. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a shining blue collar around Pluto's neck.

Soon, we arrived at the base of the tower and saw Baldroy shooting at the demon hound.

"Guys!"

Finni and Baldroy turned around. Their eyes widened in surprise and the chef spoke up.

"Mey-Rin! Why did you bring the bo-chan here?"

"It's not her fault. I told her to bring me here."

"So he was the one behind the fire?"

"We chased him from the mansion here. I saw someone in all white on top of him earlier and I didn't want him to steal Plu-Plu!" Finn said passionately.

As we stood there speaking, I sense the all too familiar presence of a certain demon and another presence…

My eyes narrowed and I looked up at the building to our right. I see a man in white and a man in black. They stood near the edge of the roof and I felt myself getting pissed off.

 _What's Sebastian doing with Ash? For now, I'll keep quiet and see what happens_.

As I continued watching, I saw Ash turn towards Sebastian, gesturing as he spoke. Suddenly, he pulled off a scarf, unbuttoned his shirt, and pulled it open. Though I couldn't see what he was showing to Sebastian, I saw the demon wearing a face of absolute disgust.

 _Now that I think about it, Ash's presence feels the same as that woman we saw before the fountain…could they be the same person?_

I turned my gaze back to the servants and Ciel for a moment to keep up with their discussion.

"We wanted to calm Plu-Plu down but…," Finni said, sounding distressed and unhappy.

"But I'm out of tranquilizers."

Baldly showed us the box and sure enough, there wasn't a single tranquilizer bullet left.

"You have real bullets don't you?"

As Ciel uttered those words, I felt a momentary flare of the demon's aura. I turned my attention back to the rooftop and saw Sebastian disappear.

"Where's he going now?"

"Where's who going?"

I realized I just spoke out loud and looked back at the group.

"It's nothing."

Kiel turned his attention back to the three servants.

"Mey-Rin, Finni, and Baldroy. This is an order: kill that demon hound with your own hands!"

Tears streamed down their faces as they saluted the young boy.

"Yes, sir!"

"Sterling, you come with me."

I nodded my head and we took off. We ran through the city and eventually we arrived at the part of the city where the flames hadn't touched. There wasn't a single person in the streets and our surroundings were eerily quiet.

"This is so creepy…"

We continued running for a few minutes before stopping in front of what looks like a palace. There were two guards standing by the door and Ciel gathered himself before speaking.

"I am the Phantomhive earl, Ciel Phantomhive and I request an audience with the Queen!"

The guards didn't move and as Ciel was about to speak again, he stopped. He walked towards one of the guards and scrutinized him.

"He's not moving…."

I looked at the other one.

"He isn't either…"

"No time to think about this!"

Ciel flung the door open and we jogged inside. But even inside, the guards lining the walkway were completely still.

"Time's stopped…Is this a trap?"

"There's only one way to find out."

Ciel looked over at me and smirked.

"For once, you're right. Let's go!"

We continued through the hallway and saw one of the doors slightly opened. We looked at each other before carefully entering the room.

"Your Majesty!"

When we entered the room, a horrific scene welcomed us. The Queen lie sprawled out on top of the bed. She was wearing a night gown and parts of her skin looked sewn on and the skin was rotting. Her eyes were opened and blood streamed down her face.

"Oh my…." I muttered before sensing a presence behind us. But it was too late. She screamed.

"The Queen!"

I grabbed Ciel's hand and dashed out of the room. Several guards ran after us but was stopped by the woman.

"The Queen….she was murdered!"

"Tch, they're annoying."

We continued running through the corridor but somehow, we were surrounded. The guards stood around us in a circle and aimed their muskets at us.

"Who are you? Who killed Her Majesty?"

"I am the Phantomhive earl, Ciel Phantomhive."

"So Her Majesty's own guard dog turned against her, huh?"

"I did not kill Her Majesty."

"You think you can talk your way out of this? Prepare to fire!"

Ciel and I stood back to back so we could see all the guards around us.

"What do we do?" I whispered as we got into a staring contest with the guards.

"I'm thinking!" Ciel hissed back.

I saw a slight twitch of one of the guards.

"Watch out!"

That guard flexed his fingers and a shot rang around the room. I turned towards the boy.

"You alright?"

Ciel's gaze was fixed on my stomach. I followed his own gaze and looked down.

"Ouch."

I pressed my hand to my stomach and felt around the wound.

"I'm fine. Are you hurt?"

Ciel blinked several times and shook his head slightly.

"Y-yeah."

I glared at the guards, who seemed surprised I was still standing alive and standing.

"Thanks for shooting me. I-"

Before I could finish speaking, the captain of the guards barked an order.

"Open fire! Make it so this woman never speaks again!"

I braced myself for the oncoming pain but felt an abnormal gust of wind and my vision was blocked. When the smoke cleared from all the shots fired, there he was.

Sebastian was crouched in front of us with his arms perpendicular to his body and bullets caught between his long gloved fingers. He glanced back at us with a smirk before retuning the bullets back to their owners. All the guards fell over and the room was silent again. The butler stood up and turned towards us before bowing deeply.

"I humbly apologize for taking authorized leave."

"What were you doing?"

"Oh, I was preparing for the Last Supper. Sweet, hot, and occasionally tart. Using a variety of spices to mature the flavor..."

Sebastian's mouth pulled up in the corners in a creepy smile.

"...Thanks to you, I believe I'll be able to enjoy the ultimate soul...the ultimate supper."

Ciel looked at Sebastian for several seconds before speaking.

"This is an order: take me to the angel of massacre!"

"Certainly."

We head out the palace and got into a long canoe. Sebastian pushed us into middle of the river and began stirring the paddles. I stared at the water rippling around the body of the canoe and saw the eerie red light from the fire reflecting in the water. Ambers and ash fell down from the sky like snow and then I noticed something abnormally clean in the water. I picked it up and showed it to them.

"Look what I found."

Ciel looked at the white feather and looked at Sebastian.

"Where are we going?"

"There are several bridges here in London named 'Devil's Bridge,' so called because legend has it that these bridges were made by demons. In contrast, the Tower Bridge is a holy bridge, which I surmise the angel instructed Her Majesty to build."

As Sebastian explained, we went under the bridge and my eyes widened in horror. Countless unrecognizable faces writhed around the walls of this supposedly _holy_ bridge and their moans echoed between the walls and the water.

"Human sacrifices? _This_ is supposed to be a holy bridge?"

"Taken too far, saintliness is far beastlier than evil."

Sebastian pulled us to a pier and tethered the boat to it. He hoped out of the canoe and turned to us.

"Please wait here, bo-chan."

"I'm coming along!"

"Let me put this plainly: you would drag me down."

"Hey, don't forget I'm here. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Oi, I'm not some baby."

Sebastian looked like he was thinking about something then he glances at me.

"Very well then. I'll place bo-chan under your care, Sterling."

"Sounds good. Wait did you just call me by my name?"

"What are you talking about?" Sebastian asked, wearing his fake smile again. I sighed and grabbed Ciel's hand.

"Alright, let's go."

We proceeded to climb up the very long ladder at the base of this bridge and eventually arrived at the top of the unbuilt tower. Ash was standing at the edge, gazing at the burning world and mumbling nonsense to himself when he suddenly addressed Sebastian.

"...Isn't that right, demon?"

"Why did you kill the queen too?" Ciel asked the deranged angel.

"Her clouded fish-eyes."

"Fish eyes?"

"Her eyes should have been fixed on the future, but they were held captive by the past, and they dulled and rotted. There was nothing for me to do but to cleanse her."

Ash turned towards us with an anguished expression as he spoke. Sebastian just wordlessly lead us to a bunch building materials.

"Stay here. It has the best seat in the house."

Sebastian gave us a confident smirk before asking.

"So, your orders, bo-chan?"

Ciel put a hand on his eyepatch and pulled it off. He opened his eyes to reveal a shining symbol that was identical to the one on Sebastian's hand.

"Kill him. Kill the angel!"

"Is there really a need to repeat yourself?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes at the tense atmosphere.

Sebastian and Ciel, however, ignored me. Sebastian's eyes began glowing and he kneeled down in a formal bow.

"Yes, my lord."

"When this bridge is completed, it'll seal eastern London from uncleanliness. As an angel, I have no choice but to purge any demon who alight upon this gate. Purge them into pure white beings. Without stain, without heart...without life."

Sebastian walked towards the angel as he pulled out his blade. Upon finishing his declaration, Ash leaped towards the demon and they engaged in battle in the air. Once again, Sebastian was fighting with his beloved silverware.

"I can't believe that's all he ever fights with..." I mumbled to Ciel, who had his eyes fixed on the battle.

"He can use anything as a weapon."

We continued watching until I noticed some weird presences around us. Black blobs began surrounding us and I looked at Sebastian. He, too, was surrounded by the blobs. These things were able to physically restrain the butler.

"This mist..."

I heard Sebastian's velvety voice from the black cloud and listened closely.

"Yes, it feels wonderful."

 _That's Ash speaking_.

"This feels wonderful. They're so warm and clammy...nicer to the touch than the finest furs."

 _Wait, a woman's speaking. What's going on?_

"An angel clothed in uncleanliness? How the mighty have fallen."

The angel responded to Sebastian's comment.

"The pleasures of uncleanliness are unpleasant and unbearable to me. However...the despair of uncleanliness gives me power."

I heard a whooshing sound and shielded Ciel with my body.

"What are you doing?!" He protested, struggling to get out of my arms but I wouldn't move.

"Stop."

He abruptly stopped struggling, knowing I was serious.

"I grow stronger and stronger...Oh, what to do? I still...haven't given up on you yet, you know?"

"Doesn't he ever shut up?" I spat, hearing Ash's annoying alternating voice.

"I don't go for women who fornicates with dogs."

 _Hehe, I've never heard Sebastian sound so disgusted._

"If you won't embrace me, a woman...I will stay in this man's form, as the Sun...and sink my shaft into you, all the way to the hilt."

"Your taste really couldn't get any worse."

Suddenly, I see a bright light burst through the dark blobs and I see the angel with his sword pointing at the heavens.

"The Final Judgement approaches. Hear me, demon: your chest shall be the sheath to my sword. Take it into yourself!"

The angel suddenly showed the ugliest expression I've ever seen and rushes Sebastian.

"Sebastian!"

I yelled in frustration, not being able to move due to the dark blobs, although Ciel seems to be safe from these spirits. But as I turned my gaze back on the battle, I see Sebastian's arm flying away from his body. I gasped and my eyes widened.

"No..."

However, soon, the black spirits began dissipating. Ash panicked and looked around.

"Damn those shinigamis, getting in the way of my holy battle!"

Within mere seconds, all the spirits restraining us disappeared. I released Ciel from my arms only to find myself being pulled into someone's arms.

"What the?!"

* * *

 **Hehe, sorry for the cliffhanger. Haven't had one of those in a while right? Although I bet you can guess who it is. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Eddingsfan: Sometimes when I'm referencing the anime, I end up copying word for word the dialouge and it ends up taking me three times as long to write a chapter and that's kind of what happened here until I changed some things. Hopefully I didn't just regurgitate what I saw in the anime xD**

 **ThePinkyNinja: I bet you're hating me so much right now for the cliffhanger ;)**

 **promocat: Of course! Sterling has the compassion Sebastian lack beacuse.. you know..he's a demon**

 **Kiseki: I'm sorry I don't know what that is but I'm glad you're still alive and kicking!**

 **Kihala Sisters: I LOVE your ideas! I can't guarantee writing about season 2 but I like the idea of an ending with Sebastian and an ending with William. I will consider that option while I write the last few chapters :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**OOps! I knew I forgot to do something..I just started a new Korean drama and I was thinking that I had too much time when I realized I had yet to write the new chapters.**

 **And BEWARE: GRAPHIC SCENE IN THIS CHAPTER. Read at your own risk.**

 **Oh and sorry for the shortness. This was hard to write.**

 **Another thing...someone suggested I write this story into the season two as well as write two separate endings for both William and Sebastian and I thought that was a really good idea. However, I feel that it kind of betrays the story in a way that's hard to explain. What do you guys think? Please let me know!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other _stuff_ that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

I twisted my head so I could see and my silver eyes reflecting in the startling neon green eyes.

"William! What are you doing here?!"

"It's nice to see you too."

William gave me a kind smile before pushing up his glasses with a serious look.

"Those black mists you saw earlier were basically broken souls. I enlisted the help of several other shinigamis and cleared those away while they were fighting."

"Oh I see."

Suddenly, a large blast of air from the battle between the demon and fallen angel assaulted us. Because I was in William's arms, all I could do was huddle closer to him for safety. When the air around us settled down, I realized something. I frantically looked around and shouted out in desperation.

"Ciel!"

I continued looking around while yelling.

"Ciel! Where are you?!"

I pushed William away and ran around, trying to find the young boy. Finally, I saw a few pale fingers gripping the side of the unfinished bridge. I ran towards him and looked over.

"Ciel! Why didn't you respond when I called? I'm worried about you!"

He glared up at me and I recoiled a little at the sight of his eye.

"Well don't just stand there. Help me up!"

I sighed and bent over, reaching my arm down to the boy. He grabbed my hand and I pulled, leaning back so my center of gravity shifted. After a few seconds of pulling, I managed to get Ciel up to his waist. He began swinging his leg over the edge when another blast of air blasted the area and Ciel instantly lost his footing. I started back from square one when I saw another hand shoot down, grabbing Ciel's other hand. We pulled him up and I sighed, looking over next to me.

"Thanks, William."

"Of course."

I pulled Ciel into my arms again and leaned into a pile of building material and turned towards the fight so Ciel and I were watching the fight together. William stood next to us with his brows furrowed. I wasn't sure why he looked so annoyed, but not caring much about it given the current situation, I turned my sights back on the fight.

Sebastian was holding his own ground with the angel even though he was fighting with just mere silverware. I thought of a good idea and snapped my fingers. In an instance, the silverware Sebastian was holding heated up until it was flowing white. Sebastian's gloves caught on fire and disintegrated from the heat and turned to ash. He paused for a brief second, looking down at the silverware, and his lips curled up into a sadistic smirk. He jumped towards the angel and managed to embedded a few of the knives into the angel's legs.

"Mngg!"

Ash let out a satisfying grunt and I focused all my energy onto the knives. They remained glowing white from the heat and I felt a sort of joy well up from deep within my being at the angel's distorted face from the pain. I felt something touch my face and when I looked down, Ciel had pinched my cheek.

"Ouch!"

"Look at you...such a messed up face."

"Oh, you noticed?"

"How could I not? I'm annoyingly close to you."

"That's true..I guess being around you and Sebastian has embedded this sadistic streak in my personality."

"Don't blame your messed up mind on me. Although I can't say the same for Sebastian."

"Pfft...I guess.'

We continued watching the battle when suddenly, I heard some swooshing sounds.

"Watch out!"

I jumped out of the way with Ciel in my arm in an attempt to dodge the incoming missiles. But there were too many of them and I grunted in pain as I felt countless feathers planted in my back. I looked down to check for Ciel's safety when I gasped. He gurgled and I found myself beginning to panic.

"Oh shit!"

There was a feather sticking out of the boy's pale neck. When he tried to speak, the feather moved and instead of words, the only noise that came out was that wet gurgle.

"Uh..here don't try to talk. Just..can you breath?"

He nodded but stopped when he winced.

"Alright alright. I get it. It hurts but you can breathe. So...we should just leave it in."

His eyes widened before giving me the dirtiest look I've ever seen from anyone.

"It might be plugging up the injury from the feather so-"

As I spoke, trying to reason with him, Ciel reached a hand up to his neck and yanked out the feather. Immediately, blood began pouring out of the hole in his neck.

" #)&$)$&(!"

I began fumbling around trying to plug up the small hole but because of all the blood, my hand slipped. I finally was able to keep my finger on the hole by wrapping my hands around his neck as if I was choking him.

"I told you! You should've just kept it in!"

There was a large screeching sound and my head shot up at the sound. Sebastian was standing, back facing us, with only one arm that was dripping with dark red blood

"How are you going to fight with one arm?!"

"This was a bit more difficult than I had anticipated."

"Geez, even now you're trying to be tough?"

"Sterling, could I ask you for a favor?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Could you keep bo-chan safe for just a few more seconds?"

I nodded my head and tightened my grip around Ciel's neck, causing him to cough a little.

"Oh sorry..." I mumbled before speaking loudly for Sebastian to hear. "Yeah! You got it!"

"Well then, I have one more request for you. Please cover bo-chan's eyes."

I tilted my head from curiosity but realized something.

"I can't do it! If I let go, Ciel's gonna bleed out."

I glanced around trying to find something to plug up his neck injury when I realized William had disappeared.

"Where'd he go when I need him?"

Then, an impossible thought crossed my mind. I focused my mind on my arms and created a small piece of silver with a little disk on the inside portion so the blood doesn't push it out. After making sure the metal was staying, I reached up and covered Ciel's eyes. Because he had lost quite a lot of blood and was probably in shock, Ciel offered no resistance. I felt his eyes flutter shut under my hands and I yelled out.

"I covered his eyes!"

"Well then, it's time I showed you my true form."

"True form?"

 _What is he talking about?_

As I thought about this, I felt the air change around us. The temperature dropped several degrees and I felt all the hair on my body stand on edge. Countless black feathers began shedding off Sebastian's body, obscuring his tall figure.

A few seconds later, I heard Ash groaning in horror before screaming some incomprehensible words.

I had to bite my lips at the scene in front of me. Sebastian had turned from the beautiful and alluring man to something the exact opposite. I felt almost sick to the pit of my stomach but I was able to hold it in.

Suddenly, the battle between Sebastian and Ash became extremely one-sided. Within a few seconds, a large explosion of light erupted from where Ash stood and everything fell silent.

"It's over..."

Sebastian began walking towards where we were sitting and his high-heeled boots clacked on the steel beams. I had just gotten past his appearance but I stared at his...shoes. He noticed my gaze and, slanting his angular, glowing eyes, his mouth widened and showed his row of pointed teeth.

"See something you like?"

I shook my head. But something felt wrong. Ciel was in my arms but he was completely limp. I looked down at the boy and noticed blood trickling out of his neck wound and I looked up at Sebastian in distress. At this point, he had turned back to his normal butler form and he picked up Ciel from his arms.

"Where are you going?"

"I have some preparations to take care of."

"What about Ciel?"

He gave me a gentle smile.

"Rest assured, I will take care of bo-chan just like I always have. But you should say your goodbyes while you still can."

"So...this is the end?""

"It seems like it."

I stood up and peered into Ciel's face. He was paler than I'd ever seen and he was barely breathing.

"Goodbye, Ciel. Thank you for everything."

I placed a hand on his cheek and after letting it rest for a few seconds, then letting it drop down to my side.

"Well, see you around, Miss Sterling."

"Wait, you're leaving? Just like that?"

When i looked up at Sebastian, he just gave me a smile and stepped off the bridge, falling down with a whooshing sound. I ran to the edge of the bridge and saw him and Ciel on the boat before they disappeared under the half built bridge.

"Wow."

I plopped down at the edge of the bridge, at a lost of what I needed to do. I glanced over to my right and saw Ash's body, with his wings reaching towards the heavens. I felt uncomfortable being here yet I had no where to go. I just sat there as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky.

* * *

 **Wow. That was one of the hardest chapters I had to write for this story. It feels a a bit rushed but hopefully it was okay.**

 **guest: I haven't decided who she will end up with! I hope I'll know soon.**

 **promocat: I agree! Although I have to remind you Ash/Angel was technically a fallen angel, so not how an angel should be**

 **Kiseki: Thank you! I try to reread my chapters to catch mistakes but like you said, no one's perfect! I hope this wasn't disappointing :/**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello! It would seem this story is ending very soon...unless I write it into season two of the anime..but I'm still not sure if I want to do that or not...I'll think about it. Also, like I mentioned in the last chapter, I would appreciate it if you could let me know whether or not I should write two separate endings for this story. I still haven't decided but at this moment, I don't want to write two separate endings. Anyways, let me know, okay?**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other _stuff_ that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

I sat on top of the unfinished bridge for the rest of the day. It seemed, like the bridge, my relationships with the Phantomhive earl and butler were unfinished. I didn't know whether to be annoyed at the sudden separation or joy at having been able to spend any time with those two at all. I looked out at the horizon as the sun began sinking down, dying the world a bloody orange color when I felt a presence next to me. I didn't need to look to know who it was so I continued staring at the scene in front of me.

"It's all over."

William plopped himself down so he was sitting next to me with his legs dangling off the edge.

"So it seems."

We sat there for a few minutes, sharing the comforting but somewhat lonely silence. After a while, the shinigami stood up and offered me his hand with the kindest smile I've ever seen. I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Let's go home."

I nodded and hesitantly put my hand in his. He pulled me up and we descended the unfinished bridge hand-in-hand. As we descended, I thought about all that's happened in the last couple of weeks. I accidentally happened upon the Phantomhive manor, became a part of the family, and got to spend precious time with all of them. At this point, I had regarded them as my own family, although we were obviously not blood-related. But now, with Sebastian and Ciel gone, I didn't know how the mansion would ever be the same.

"The mansion...!"

We had gone down from the cursed bridge when my sudden exclamation caused William to look back at me in curiosity.

"Sterling?"

"I'm sorry but could we go somewhere first?"

"Sure. Where?"

I gave him a sheepish smile.

"I want to check up on the others at the mansion."

"The others?"

"Yeah. Mey-Rin, Finni, Baldroy, and Tanaka."

William gave me a confused look and I realized he didn't know them.

"The Phantomhive servants."

"You're still hung up on them?"

I recoiled a little at his words and when he saw my hurt expression, he apologized.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't know they meant so much to you."

"Of course they do! They're like my family."

He nodded silently and began leading me where I had last seen the servants.

"Where...?"

He picked me up and began running up the side of a building and when we reached the top, William set me down gently.

"You guys!"

I rushed over to where the Pluto and the servants lied. I knelt down next to them and watched them for a moment before sighing a breath of relief.

"You're all still breathing."

I turned around and looked at Pluto when I realized he wasn't breathing.

"You guys followed Ciel's orders to the end, huh?"

I thought of something.

"I have something for you guys. Hopefully you won't forget me because I definitely won't. I've had the best days of my lives with you and I wish you all the best! I'll visit again."

My lips curled up in a tiny smile and I cupped my hands together.

"Sterling..."

William whispered, hugging me from behind. I twisted my head and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"I need to do this. Please let go."

He seemed to notice how serious I was so he loosened his arms. I focused all my energies and made a delicate silver ring with the outline of a cat, a thick silver band, and two shiny hair clips. I felt a little nostalgic as I thought back to the times I spent with these people as I slipped the parting gifts into their pockets. I slowly stood up and took one more look at my friends.

"Actually.."

I looked back at William and I knew I had made the right decision.

"I can't leave them on their own. Not after everything that's happened and what they've done for me."

"So you're not leaving? You won't come with me?"

William asked, searching for any hints of hesitation in my eyes.

"I'm sorry William...It's just-"

"I understand."

"You do?"

"I was with you quite a while ago. I'm not surprised you seem more attached to them than you are to me."

"Wait, no. William, you got the wrong idea."

His gaze softened and he smiled.

"It's fine. I'll wait for you to gather your thoughts and feelings."

"You'll...wait for me?"

"I don't want to force you into doing something you're not ready for. So I'll just wait for you to come to me when you're ready."

I felt my eyes pooling up and I closed my eyes, letting the tears stream down my face.

"Thank you."

I felt something soft on my head and when I opened my eyes, William had placed his hand on my head.

"Now, you'll need help getting them back to the mansion right?"

Nodding my head, I took a few breaths to calm myself down. William picked up the three servants and slung them over his shoulder.

"They're not heavy?"

"I can handle a bit more."

With that, William scooped me up as well and at first, I really doubt he could actually pick me up on top of the other three people. But to my surprise, he also picked me up with ease and jumped off the Big Ben. I looked up at his face as he leaped through the city and the forest. I hadn't realized it but his presence was soothing, like a balm to my entire being. However, as I thought about William, another face popped up in my mind. I unconsciously began comparing the two men.

Sebastian was a tease but he was always there when it counted. William wasn't there much but he always treated me well and cared about my genuine well-being.

As I pondered about these things, we came to a stop. I coughed from the polluted air and blinked several times. We had stopped in front of huge piles of rubble. But judging by the surrounding, I knew where we were.

"The manor is utterly destroyed."

William gently set down the servants and pushed his glasses up. They began stirring and the first to wake up was Finni.

"Hmmm..where am I?"

He blinks lethargically and flinches.

"Owwwww...everything hurts..."

"Finni!"

I knelt down next to him and took his face in my hand. I lightly tapped his face until his eyes came into focus.

"Huh? Sterling? What happened? Where's Plu-Plu?"

"You guys executed Ciel's last order perfectly."

His eyes opened, confused, until what I said sank in.

"Oh..."

His eyes teared up and he looked around, resting on Mey-Rin and Baldroy.

"Finni, do you know what happened to the mansion?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, Plu-Plu burned down the mansion before he went on to set London on fire."

"So that's what happened..."

"Where's the bo-chan? And Sebastian?"

"Honestly? I don't know where they went and I don't think I'll ever know."

I felt a stab in my heart again and I looked up at the sky, feeling tears well up.

"Sterling, I'm still on duty and after what happened last night, there's more work than ever."

Wiping my cheeks, I stood up and faced William.

"Ah, I understand. So, um...will I see you again?"

He pushed his glasses up and rested a hand on my tearstained cheek.

"Without a doubt. I'll make sure to drop in whenever I'm in the area."

I looked up at him with gratitude.

"Thank you..for everything. And, I'm sorry. For making you wait."

"It's no problem. I have my hands full with my job anyways."

I felt an urge to embrace my...I guess ex-husband and I opened my arms. William pulled me in a comforting and tight hug without delay and whispered in my ear.

"I will always wait for you."

After that, William released me and disappeared into the forest without another glance. I turned around and saw Baldroy and Mey-Rin stirring. Finni was walking around, looking lost in the face of all the rubble. However, I was feeling a strange sense of peace. I smiled a little and gathered my thoughts. By now, all three servants were awake

"Alright guys. Let's do something about this rubble."

* * *

 **Wow. For some reason, these chapters are getting harder and harder to write. Maybe I'm burning out? D: Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this so don't forget to let me know what you thought about this :)**

 **promocat: Sterling is getting stronger as all this shit is being thrown at her!**

 **Kiseki: I actually had the time to reread my chapters and fix any mistakes. As for your question, I would very much like to travel! I'd want to visit England, Italy, or just most European countries in general, Korea, Japan, Canada..as well as many other places haha**

 **BlackDragon2016: Hehe thank you! I'll think about it. I don't want to drag this out in a way that would in turn ruin the story because I wanted to write more chapters. But we'll see!**

 **Guest: Yup I sometimes forget I can write the story as I want haha**

 **xcherry91x: There's no promise in who Sterling will end up with so follow to find out more ;)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi. So I think I've decided to do my own spinoff of season two. I probably won't bring in Claus and Alois since I didn't particularly like the new characters introduced in the seconds season; however, I do like the ideas and things that happened in there (such as Ciel turning into a demon,etc) so I might be throwing those in the mix. As for the endings, I won't be writing two endings for the story. Sorry to those of you who wanted that but as the author, I think having two endings will take away from the entirety of the story. I hope you understand!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other _stuff_ that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Phew..."

I heaved a heavy breath while surveying my surroundings and felt my spirits sink a little. The Phantomhive servants had all put in their best efforts to salvage what was left of the mansion but it has proven to be quite difficult. Impossible, in fact.

"If only Sebastian's here..."

"I know..."

The servants and I had all plopped ourselves down on various pieces rubble as we felt our hopes diminish. When the omnipotent butler was around, he could fix any damages to the manor in a blink of an eye. But even after spending hours toiling, we couldn't even fix a single room of this huge mansion.

"We should stop. This is impossible..."

"But where will we go?" Mey-Rin mumbled.

"Yeah! We have no where to go back to...the Phantomhive manor was our home..." Finni whimpered.

I thought hard and the only place I could think of taking the three servants was the little cottage near London.

"I don't think William would mind..."

"Huh? Did you say something?"

Finni turned towards me. I shook my head and smiled at them.

"Guys, there's a place we can stay at. It's a bit run down but at least we'll have shelter."

"But what about the mansion? What if the bo-chan and Sebastian come back?"

"Get it through you head, Finni. They're not coming back."

"Baldroy! Don't be so rude."

"But it's the truth..."

The chef looked away in embarrassment and I glared at the back of his head before looking back at Finni.

"We'll just be staying there for a bit, alright? It needs a little bit of fixing but it should be a lot easier than trying to fix the mansion."

"That sounds like our only option right now. Where is it, Ster?"

"Ster? Really? When did I give you permission to call me by a nickname?"

Baldroy scratched his head and gave me a silly grin.

"Ahh don't sweat the small stuff. We're practically family, eh?"

I felt the corners of my lips threatening to come up and I turned away from them.

"Whatever. The cottage is a few hours away but think of it as a little adventure."

"Adventure? I'm so excited!" Finni exclaimed, his voice brightening.

"So we all agree to go there?"

Mey-Rin looks around before turning back to me.

"It's sad to leave the mansion like this, yes it is! But I have a feeling we should probably go somewhere else for now."

"Okay then. Let's go!"

We set out for the cottage and I realized something.

"Where's Tanaka?"

I heard a little _ho, ho, ho_ next to me and turned to see the little man wearing a safari outfit.

"Tanaka! I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Ho, ho, ho."

"Hahaha good to see you too."

* * *

"Let's stop somewhere. It's getting dark."

We have walked the majority of the day and now the red light streaming on the ground below us signaled the sunset. Baldroy picked out a spot in the forest that was next to a stream and we settled down.

"Oi Ster. You sure you know where you're going?"

"Well I've only been there two or three times and each time, either Sebastian or William took me and you know how those two have superhuman speed. But I know the general direction of where we're supposed to go."

"Eh?! We're supposed to just trust you? In case you haven't noticed, we're currently homeless! I'd appreciate it if you could take our lives a little more seriously."

I sighed and looked at Balrdoy.

"Excuse me. What am I?"

"Huh?"

"What am I?"

"You're a nymph."

"And am I human?"

"No..."

"That's right. My senses are way better than yours even though you are all handpicked by Sebastian."

"That doesn't mean you kno-"

"And," I said, cutting the chef off," I may have only been there a few times but I know exactly where it is so don't worry."

He pulled out a new cigarette and stuck it in his mouth in a huff.

"Whatever man. But what do we do? Everything we owned was burned down in the mansion. We don't have money or food or shelter..."

"Don't be so negative, Baldroy! We have each other, yes we do! We'll make something work somehow."

I thought about our current predicament and an idea popped in my head.

"I have a way to make money but you guys better keep quiet about this. If not, you guys will be the one who's gonna need to make money."

"What do you mean?"

I grinned at them and cupped my hands. As I concentrated, a small lump of silver appeared and continued to get bigger and bigger until it was the size of my fist. I let out a satisfied sigh and held it up for the others to see.

"This will be our solution for now."

Everyone was staring at me with their jaws unhinged and I couldn't help but laugh at their ridiculous appearance.

"Geez guys. If you keep looking at me like that, I'm gonna blush!"

Mey-Rin was the first to come too and her cheeks flushed.

"W-WOAH! Sterling, that was amazing! But how did you do that? Is that real?!"

"Haha thanks! I'm not sure if I ever told you guys but I'm the silver nymph so making silver is kind of my talent."

 _Ooohs_ and _ahhs_ surfaced from my friends and I couldn't help but chuckle at their reaction.

"I can't believe you guys are even capable of being surprised especially after what you've already seen."

I mentally counted all the crazy beings these people have seen: Sebastian, a demon; Pluto, a demon hound; Ash, an angel; William, a shinigami; and me. These servants have seen more supernatural beings than most others combined.

"That reminds me...other than Finni, I don't know Tanaka, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy's pasts. If you don't mind, could you all tell me your stories? As you can see, we have some time on our hands."

Mey-Rin and Baldroy proceeded to tell me their stories and I listened carefully. Mey-Rin was an assassin who sniped people for money for as long as she remembered. Baldroy had an uncanny sense of danger and avoided being slaughtered on the battlefields. Sebastian had found each of them personally and brought them to the mansion.

"Wow...You guys have such different pasts! That was so interesting...thanks for sharing!"

The two of them heaved a hefty sigh as if some weight has been taken off their shoulders. I turned to Tanaka and gasped in surprise.

"Are you...Tanaka?"

The usually tiny old man had seemingly unwound and standing before me was an impeccably dressed old man wearing a monocle.

"Yes, Miss Sterling."

"You can talk?!"

"Tanaka runs on steam so he can become normal sized during certain times," Finni pointed out.

"Ohh..I don't really get it but okay."

"I shall tell you the story of the previous generation of Phantomhives."

"You mean like..Ciel's parents?"

"Yes. I shall tell you of his parents and how he came to be the head of the family."

"But I want to hear _your_ story, not the Phantomhive family history."

Tanaka bowed low.

"My apologies, Miss Sterling. But my life has been fully dedicated to serving this household so this is all I can tell you. Could you settle for this story instead?"

"O-oh. Of course! Do tell."

The old man cleared his throat and began his tale of how he served the Phantomhives. Ciel's parents worked for the Queen for several decades and Ciel's father actually foresaw the Queen's plan of destroying the household.

"You're saying he knew already but let it happen anyway?"

I stared at Tanaka in disbelief and just as he was about to open his mouth, a loud stream of steam escaped from his head and he went back to usual size.

"Oh man, time's up, huh?"

I stretched out my legs and looked around. It was probably midnight now and the moon was high in the sky. The other servants had dozed off sometime during Tanaka's story and I felt my heart warm up at the sight in front of me.

"I'm glad I stayed around."

Suddenly, I felt a presence and I turned towards it.

"Hi."

William dropped down from the trees and stood up straight with a smile.

"I told you I'd stop by whenever I can."

"Yes, you did. I haven't seen you in _soooooooo_ long. How long has it been? A couple hours? Maybe a day?"

He chuckled and placed his hand on my head.

"Look at you, still cheeky as ever."

"Oh! That makes me think of something. William, you know how we're in England right now?"

"Yes."

"So since you're a shinigami, do you go all over the world to recover souls? I'm honestly curious because you're somehow always around."

"Should I go somewhere far away then? Since you don't sound happy for me to always be around you."

I waved my hands and shook my head.

"You know that's not what I'm saying."

William's face softened and he stroke my hair.

"I know...well, I just happened to be assigned this general area to collect souls. Did you really think I'm going all over the world for my job?"

"Hey! It's not my fault I don't know anything about your job. It's not like you ever told me anything about it..."

"I know, I know. Don't pout anymore, okay?"

His hand slid down from my head to my cheek and he cupped my face up. I scrunched my nose and finally relaxed my facial muscles into a smile.

"So, are you going to tell me about your job?"

"Of course. What do you want to know?"

"Hmm...I want to know how you collect souls, how you know which souls to collect, how your sin for committing suicide is going to be forgiven, and why you're wearing glasses."

"Let's see...to answer the easy questions first: all shinigamis wear glasses because we're somehow extremely nearsighted."

"But...why? That seems so counterintuitive to have such a weakness."

"I can't tell you why but this is just the way it's been. And as for the questions about souls...I get information from the higher ups that pass down orders of whose soul I need to collect and at the scene of the soul collection, I watch these things called the Cinematic Records. They're basically the lives the person whose soul I'm collecting lived and I have to check them to make sure whether or not the person dying will better the future of humanity. Although people like that are extremely rare, we check the films anyways."

"I see. So do shinigamis collect souls only from humans? Or are they capable of collecting souls of other living beings?"

"You mean like you?"

I nodded my head.

"Well, to be precise, you don't have a soul."

"What?!"

"Your life is intimately tied to the Earth and so we can't count you as having an individual soul. Does this make sense?"

"Kind of. And what about my other question? How will your sin be forgiven?"

William sighed and looked down.

"To be completely honest, I still don't exactly know. All I know is that as long as I do my job properly, I will eventually be forgiven and my soul will be allowed to travel to heaven."

"Do you know how much time it'll take?"

He paused for a moment and looked back up at me.

"It'll take at least a few more years."

"Well, that's good! This way I'll still see you around from time to time, right?"

William nodded his head and pulled me into a tight embrace. We stayed like that for a few minutes under the moonlight and he slowly released me.

"Well, I have to be on my way. I'll see you around, Sterling."

"Bye, William!"

With a whoosh, he disappeared into the night. I lied down on the soft grass and fell asleep almost immediately from the day's exertions.

* * *

 **Woot! You guys learn some backstories/facts in this chapter! I'm not sure how accurate my shinigami facts were in this chapter so don't get mad if I messed something up! I'm kinda throwing in ideas of my own so yeah :) Hope you enjoyed this and I'll talk to you on the next one!**

 **promocat: There's no way Sterling's going to abandon them! She loves them too much**

 **BlackDragon2016: Thanks :D**

 **P3nnn: I'M SO GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU OMG I THOUGHT YOU GOT KIDNAPPED OR SOMETHING! As for your suggestion, I'll think about it! It'll be interesting (but difficult) to write about the two men who are seemingly married to their jobs. Thanks for reviewing the last 4 chapters in ONE go. YOU ROCK! See ya soon :) Hope life's treating you well. Don't work too hard!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hii! So I haven't actively decided what's going to happen in the future so I'm kind of just winging it as I'm writing...hopefully this'll turn out alright...**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other _stuff_ that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

The next day, we set out for the cottage once again after having breakfast.

"Man, nothing beats fresh meat! Great job on that shot, Mey-Rin."

Baldroy purposefully ran his shoulder into the maid while giving her his silly smile.

"Thanks! Having good vision helps, hehe."

"Mey-Rin, why do you wear glasses? Didn't you say you can see extremely far in detail?"

"Well...I'm extremely farsighted and it was a gift from bo-chan so I can't bear to part with it!"

"I get it. No need to freak out like that. Speaking of gifts, did you guys all get the things I made you?"

The servants gave each other blank stares and I realized they didn't know I had given them gifts.

"I gave all of you parting gifts but then decided to stick around."

"P-parting gifts?! You were going to leave us?" Finni exclaimed, looking extremely hurt.

"Hey, what matters is that I didn't leave. I hope you haven't lost the gifts I made you..."

"You made the gifts? Does that mean the gifts are silver?"

"Yup. Check your pockets."

They fumbled their pockets and one by one, pulled out the gifts I've made. I realized that Tanaka did not receive a gift and I looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry, Tanaka. I don't have anything for you."

"Ho, ho, ho."

I took his little breathy laugh as him telling me it was alright. I made my mind up that I'll make him something in the future when I have more materials and gave him a warm smile.

"Oh! This is so pretty!"

Finni pulled out the hair clips and quickly fastened them in his bangs by removing two of his usual red hairpins.

"Looking good, Finni!"

He gave me a bright smile.

"What the hell is this? A ring?!"

The chef pulled out the thick silver band and gave it almost a judgmental look.

"Oi Ster. You really think I'm going to wear a ring?"

I glared at him and he immediately shrunk back.

"H-hey. I was just kidding..."

"After deciding to stay, saving you from the mess in London, AND giving you a gift, this is how you thank me?"

"Like I said. I was just kidding!"

Baldroy slipped on the thick silver band on his left pointer finger and examined it in the sun. The silver sparkled beautifully in the sunlight.

"Man, that's bright.."

"That's real silver for ya!"

I grinned at the chef and turned my head to Mey-Rin. She had pulled out the delicate silver ring with the cat outline as an accent and looked at it wordlessly. As I was about to ask her what she thought about it, her face flushed a rosy pink.

"W-WOW! This is so cute!"

She immediately put it on her finger but began to frown as she stared at it shining under the sun.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just a maid! I can't possibly do housework wearing such a nice ring!"

I brought my hand to my chin and thought carefully.

"You're right...let's see. Oh! I have an idea."

I cupped my hand and concentrated. Soon, I formed a silver chain and I pulled the ring off Mey-Rin's finger and slipped it through the chain. I held up the necklace and grinned at her.

"There you go! Now you can wear it as a ring or a necklace."

"Thank you, Sterling!"

She threw her arms around me in a tight embrace and I chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"We almost there, Ster?"

We had been walking as we were talking and joking around. I glanced around our surroundings and nodded.

"We're almost there."

Soon enough, we came upon a certain part of a forest and trying to be dramatic, I found the tree from where I had first spotted the cottage. I leaned my cheek against the rough bark and closed my eyes, greeting the tree silently. The other stood there and watched me quietly. I slowly opened my eyes and walked towards where the cottage was. The servants stood where they were and just stared at me. Just as I was about to get to the clearing, I stopped and turned around.

"Well, what are you waiting for? We're here."

"Oh!"

They jumped and immediately ran to my side. We walked into the clearing and the cottage came into sight. I felt a pang of nostalgia as I surveyed the familiar surroundings.

"Man, this is a pretty decent cottage! Where did you find this, Ster?"

"Well...I used to live here."

"Whaa?!"

The chef's jaw dropped opened with a loud cry. I ignored him and walked up to the cottage, tracing the silver pieces in the walls before I walked inside.

"I'm home," I softly called out to the empty cottage.

The servants entered the cottage and it immediately became lively and their voices brought a warmth to the cottage.

"It's a dusty and run down but it's fairly small so we should be able to fix it up quickly."

They explored the cottage and Baldroy yelled from upstairs.

"Oi! There's no roof! We need to patch up here first before fixing the smaller problems."

He came downstairs and quickly issued orders. Finni was to bring back logs from the surrounding forest while Mey-Rin and I wove a sort of internal barrier for under the logs. As we got to work, I saw Baldroy pull out an ax from nowhere.

"Woah! Where'd that come from?"

He winked at me.

"A chef is always prepared."

I looked at him suspiciously before sighing and getting back to work. A few minutes later, Finni dragged back a bunch of logs and he and the chef sized them down and soon enough, we finished building the roof.

"So how are we going to get this up there? We don't have a lad-"

As I spoke, Finni picked up the roof and tossed it on top of the roof. It landed with a satisfying _thud_ and somehow managed to sit on top of the cottage perfectly.

"Hey! If that hadn't gone up the way it did, it could've crushed the whole place!"

I chided Finni and he gave me an apologetic grin.

"Sorry."

"You need to be more careful!"

"Oh well. We have a roof not so we just need to do a few patch jobs here and there and clean up around the place. Are there any streams or rivers around here?"

I thought hard and remembered vaguely.

"I think there's a stream not to far away from here but I don't remember exactly where it is."

"Alright then, Finni and Mey-Rin, you two go get some water so we can clean this place."

"Yes, sir!"

Those two ran off into the woods and I just looked after them.

"So what are you going to be doing while they get water, _chef_?"

He suddenly had a serious look on his face and I stopped talking. Baldroy silently walked the perimeter of the clearing before striding back next to me with a grin.

"Well, nothing here!"

I glared at him and pulled my right arm back. Taking an aim, I unleashed all the power I could muster and punched him in the shoulder. The strength of my punch made Baldroy stagger sideways and he trips over his own feet.

"Damn, Ster. You sure can pack a punch!"

I rubbed my knuckles proudly and grinned at him.

"Just because I look like a dainty little lady, doesn't mean I am one."

He began chuckling and shook his head.

"Alright. You made your point. Let's finish cleaning this place up, okay?"

"Yeah yeah."

* * *

By the time it was nightfall, the cottage was decent and we all sat around the kitchen with speedily made chairs and basically a rough wooden plank as a table. Baldroy had made us stew in the ancient pots and served us with the bowls left over from when I last stayed here.

"So, Ster. Are you finally going to tell us how you know this place and how you _know_ this place?"

I looked at Baldroy in confusion at the double questions and he rolled his eyes.

"How did you know about this place and how did you know there would be bowls and other stuff we could use?"

I swallowed the delicious stew and marveled that despite always blowing things up at the mansion, this man could actually cook.

"I used to live here. And...I helped build this cottage."

"What?!"

"You wanted to know."

"But..how? This reminds me. We hardly know anything about you, Sterling."

"Yeah, Ster! We've told you about our pasts so it's only fair for you to do the same."

I raised an eyebrow at the chef.

"You want me to punch you again?"

He flinched and rubbed his shoulder.

"No thanks, man. I'm pretty sure I'm bruised from where you punched me."

"Haha good. You're scared of me. Anywho...you really want to know about my past?"

I looked around and all three of them nodded their heads and Tanaka just responded with his usual _ho, ho, ho_ 's.

"Alright then...where do I start? Well to start off, I don't exactly remember how I came to the world. It's been so long I'd forgotten it so I'm going to skip forward a bit. I'll start from this cottage. Back then, I had met a man and we were married..."

"You were married?!"

I glared at the chef and he shut up. He mumbled a sorry and I continued.

"We decided to live in our own world so that's how this cottage came to be. If you look around this cottage, you'll see silver everywhere. And, as you may have guessed, they were all made by yours truly."

"So what happened?" Mey-Rin asked, resting her chin on her hands.

"Well, I'd rather not get into it because it's still a bit of a painful past but flash forward, as I wandered around the forest, I met Sebastian. He took me in and before I knew it, here we are. It was so funny how he treated me. When he found me, I was wandering around as a cat and you should've seen the look on his face! I've never seen such an adoring look on him. And Pluto got so jealous of me, he almost burnt down the mansion! Well.. I guess he did in the end..."

I fell silent and felt the mood of the evening changing. Standing up, I brushed my hand through my hair.

"Well, it's been a long day so let's get some rest, okay?"

* * *

 **OH NO! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER BEEN LATE TO POST THIS STORY. I'M SO SORRY D:**

 **P3nnn: Hmm I think I have to give the nickname credit to you! Hehe I also decided not to put Claude or Alois in the story because quite frankly, I don't know their personalities enough to write about them.**

 **EddingsFan: I'm late on this one T-T But no matter. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to see who Sterling's SO is as well, especially since I don't know right now.**

 **BlackDragon2016: I haven't watched season two enough to write about the characters introduced there so I'm saving both of us pain from having to write about characters I don't like and you having to read something that would most likely be extremely out of character. Sorry for not putting these characters in :/**

 **Kiseki: Who said anything about Will going away? Well, I guess you'll have to see in the future what happens ;)**

 **promocat: he's honestly so cute and very trustworthy. I wish we could see the adventures of Vincent and Rachel but I guess that'll never happen.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hi! I have an essay due tomorrow so I'll probably be updating late. Sorry! It's a difficult essay and it has to be at least 4 pages so I'm trying to fulfill that page requirement. Anyways..remember how I said I strained my rotator cuff? So that's my left shoulder and recently, while doing rehab exercises for that shoulder, I somehow hurt my right shoulder...so now both my shoulders are injured...and they're both rotator cuff injuries T-T Please help me stop injuring myself...**

 **Thank you for your understandings! That one week break has done me a lot of good and now, I'm back at it! You guys are the best :)**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other _stuff_ that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning, we slept to our hearts' content. I got up shortly after sunrise and walked around the cottage to peek at my sleeping friends and felt warmth spread throughout my body. I went back to the bedroom and quietly got out my brush to detangle my hair as I watched Mey-Rin. Us two girls slept upstairs on the bed and the boys slept downstairs on some makeshift beds of wood and old blankets. The maid was sleeping soundly as I left the room to go back downstairs. As I walked down the stairs, I stepped on a particularly squeaky step and I cringed.

"I forgot this one's always so loud...," I whispered to myself before sighing and continuing on.

When I reached the kitchen, I saw Baldroy sitting up with a rifle in his hands. The moment he saw me, his expressions softened and he set down the weapon before hissing.

"Geez, Ster! Could you be any louder?!"

"What about you? Don't you dare think about even scratching the floor."

He brought a hand up to his hair and tousled his spiky hair. He let out a loud yawn and reached inside his chef's jacket to pull out a cigarette. And as he set it in his mouth and pulled out a lighter, Baldroy froze.

"What?!"

I raised an eyebrow and glared at the chef, pointing a finger at the door.

"Out."

"I just wanted a smoke...," he muttered as he slowly stood up and walked outside.

"It's still my house and I don't want you to damage anything!" I quietly called after him.

The door closed and I walked into the kitchen before pausing to look around. The wooden countertop had cracked and the cabinets and drawers were covered with mold, moss, and other unidentifiable living beings. The only thing that looked new was the sink.

"If we replaced the countertop, drawers, and cabinets with new wood, this place would look as good as new!"

I walked around the kitchen and pulled out any old kitchenware and set them down in the sink. As I proceeded to scrutinized the area, Baldroy ran inside with the bang of the door and yelled.

"Oi, Ster! There's someone strange here and he knows you!"

"Someone strange? It's probably William."

"William?"

"As I tried to inform you earlier, I know Sterling."

I looked from Baldroy's panicked face to see William's emotionless face.

"Oh hi there. Don't go scaring my friends, okay?"

William pushed past Baldroy with a smile and gave me a hug. His embrace lasted several seconds too long and I felt my face flush from the prolonged contact.

"A-anyways, what're you doing here, William?"

"I came to see you."

"Wha?! Ster! Who is this guy and...what was that just now?!"

The chef's scratchy voice woke up Finni and he sat up from the ground with a loud groan.

"Baldroy...? Why are you so loud in the morning?"

As I tried to calm down the situation, I heard rapid footsteps coming from upstairs and I sighed. Mey-Rin began yelling about something along the lines of what's going on but her voice was replaced with loud yelps and screams as she fell down the stairs.

"You guys...calm down, alright? I'll explain everything!"

When I said that, I felt four pairs of eyes on me and I couldn't help but sigh again.

* * *

"...so that's how we ended up here."

About two hours later, I finally finished retelling my story from all the way back when I first met William and everything leading up to this particular point. I took a deep breath and suddenly felt extremely exhausted. Everyone kept cutting me off constantly during the story to ask questions that were answered later or just plain stupid questions. They were surprisingly silent now and I looked around to see they were all staring at me with wide eyes.

"What?"

"I..I never expected such a delicious story!" Mey-Rin gushed, her cheeks flushing pink.

"No kidding...you've got quite a crazy past, Ster."

"Wow!"

" _Now_ you guys know everything so no more bugging me about this!"

"Where did William go?"

"Oh, he left for work."

"So you weren't kidding when you told us he's a...shinigami?"

"Why would I lie to you? Look at me! I'm not human. So it shouldn't be surprising to you that there are a lot of other creatures out there."

Baldroy scratched his chin and looked thoughtful before breaking into a huge grin.

"I knew Sebastian wasn't human! Now I don't feel as bad for not being as perfect a servant as him."

"Do you know where Sebastian went?" Finni asked, tilting his head innocently.

"Like I said before...I do not know. Although I wish I did."

I looked down at the wooden floor and felt that crushing depression spread throughout every inch of my body. Obviously, I didn't go into details about the sort of relationship I had with the butler, but to me, those memories were still as vivid as if they happened only a couple hours ago. I felt another sigh escape my lips and tuned back into the conversation the three were having.

"...so the Queen was responsible for all this, right? And now that she's gone, Sebastian took bo-chan somewhere...probably to eat his soul. So we'll probably never see either one again?"

Finni started sniffling and Baldroy placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey...it's gon be alright, Finni. You still have us. We have nowhere to go anyways so we'll always stick together."

"Y-Yeah! We'll always be together, yes we will!"

The corners of my lips curved upwards and I found myself smiling at the scene in front of me.

"I'm so glad I met you guys..."

 _Although I'll have to be here for when you guys die...this is the cruelest part about being immortal...and the reason I never got close to anyone. They always pass on before me and I end up being alone._

I stood up and stretched out my arms.

"Well, aren't you guys hungry? We should go get some food."

"Oh, that's right! We don't have ANYTHING here...we have to go into town for a little shopping..."

"But what are going to do with the silver Sterling made us? We can't just pay for things with a chunk of silver..."

"I know a place where we can sell Ster's silver for money. Let's go."

With that said, all four of us left the cottage and headed into town. As we followed Baldroy's lead, our surroundings began looking sketchier and sketchier.

"H-hey Baldroy...where are you leading us?" Mey-Rin asked, her voice shaking with uncertainty.

The chef turned around and gave us one of his wacky grins.

"Don't worry. No one's got nothing on us! We're almost there so stop complaining."

A few minutes later, we arrived in front of a run down building and Baldroy told us to wait outside while he disappeared inside with the silver. He came out within the next five minutes with a heavy looking bag. Baldroy grinned as he bounced the bag and I heard crisp jingles.

"Got a great price for that silver. You made some quality silver, Ster!"

"Well, obviously. I'm the silver nymph."

"Alrighty then! Let's go get everything we need!"

After spending a few hours in the city, the four of us lugged back a bunch of supplies we needed for daily life.

"Wow! We sure bought a lot of stuff!" Finni commented as he lugged around the majority of the things we bought.

"We do have five people living here so we'll need more stuff than the stuff we had lying around."

"Ster, I didn't get a chance to ask you again earlier. You said you were married? To William?"

I nodded my head.

"Mm, that's right. Why bring it up now?"

"So you said that you kinda died, then William committed suicide?"

"Yup."

"Then you met us."

"Yes."

I controlled myself and didn't sigh at the redundancy of Balrdoy's questions.

"Why are you asking me these things I already told you?"

"Well, I'm just trying to wrap my head around how someone could ever want to marry ya."

"Excuse me?"

"Ahahaha I'm just kidding, man!"

I looked at him sideways and he slightly flinched.

"A-anyways, look we're home!"

Baldroy successfully distracted me for a few seconds and he ran into the cottage.

"Pfft..he's lucky I got distracted. Oh well, he'll get it later."

The rest of us took our time and arrived at the cottage with all stuff. As we began unpacking, I sensed William and he walked out from the forest.

"Hey there."

"Hi, William."

"You guys look busy."

"Yup. Just trying to settle in, you know? Thanks again for being okay with us staying here."

"Of course. There's no way I'd turn you away. Especially since you also contributed to the cottage when we were building it."

"I guess I shouldn't feel so bad then," I joked, grinning at the shinigami.

He smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me slightly closer to him.

"At least now I know where you are all the time and I know you're not being touched by someone else."

I looked up at William and narrowed my eyes.

"Someone else? Are you talking about Sebastian?"

"I definitely did not like that you were constantly in his presence. That demon will corrupt all that is around him."

I felt a pang of annoyance and as I was about to push William away, a hand shot out of nowhere and ripped the shinigami away from me.

"What the...?"

Willam was flung into the air and he did a few flips to land a few feet away on his feet. Someone swirled me around and I found myself trapped in a familiar pair of strong arms.

"As I have mentioned before, please refrain from touching the Phantomhive servants so casually."

* * *

 **Oh man! I am so mean...I'm laughing at my evilness...oh well 3 3 Love you guys hehe you'll see what happens in the next chapter. But I mean, let's be honest, we all know who came back ;) That's the reason why this chapter is a bit short..because I want you guys to squirm in your seats with excitment about who's back...hehehhe I'm a bit sadistic, not gonna lie. Anyways, thank you again for letting me take a break from writing. I was able to focus on school and I'm so thankful for your understanding!**

 **promocat: Thank you!**

 **Guest: T-T You guys spoil me haha**


	27. Chapter 27

**Wassup muchachos? Hehehe I almost feel bad for making you guys wait for this chapter...but that was such a mean cliffhanger xD Anyways, stop reading this and go right on to the juicy stuff! Uh...on second thought...I don't know where the story is going...SHITTTTT. Oh well. I better just write and see what happens.**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other _stuff_ that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

I found myself staring into the chest of someone. His voice and his arms were familiar but I couldn't let myself even think that _he_ came back. I continued standing stiffly in this man's arms when I heard a velvety smooth voice next to my ear.

"Where are you looking, Miss Sterling?"

His voice brought me back to my sense and my head snapped up. Sure enough, the face in front of me was Sebastian.

"Who are you?" I asked, still trying to gauge whether or not he was actually in front of me.

"My, I'm gone for a few days and you already forgot me, Miss Sterling? How cold."

He smirked and I felt a jab of excitement jolt through my body.

"Sebastian! It's really you!"

"Who else would I be?"

To make sure he was actually there, I reached a hand up to his face. He continued smiling, seemingly relaxed in the situation. My fingertips touched his smooth cheek and as he opened his mouth to speak, I grabbed his cheek and pinched. His eyes widened and he grabbed my wrist. He spoke in an abnormally startled voice with his eyes still wide open.

"What are you doing?"

I couldn't help but laugh at how his voice was slightly muffled because of my tugging his cheek.

"Pfft...Ahahahahahahaha!"

I let go of his cheek and wrapped my arms around the demon.

"It's good to see you."

Sebastian chuckled and as he wrapped his arms around me, I heard a metallic squeak. Sebastian jumped away with me in his arms and let me go when we landed.

"Hello, Mr. Spears."

William's metal weapon retracted and he pushed up his glasses with the weapon. He had on his usual emotionless face but I could sense the burning anger underneath the surface.

"Please let go of my wife."

Sebastian chuckled, looking completely relaxed like he always does.

"Your wife? If I remember correctly, you were married at least a century or two ago so I'd hardly like to think you think the marriage is still intact."

"Until death do us apart."

"You did die, however."

I looked between the two men: Sebastian, smiling and as cool as a cucumber, and William, boiling underneath the surface.

"Hey! Stop that!"

I ran between the men and put up my arms, hoping to appease them.

"Alright! It's enough! Sebastian, don't tease William so much. And William, calm...down. It's going to be fine."

A few tense seconds passed before William finally relaxed and stood up straight.

"I'll let you go just this once. For Sterling."

I heard a commotion inside the cottage and everyone came streaming out.

"What's going on?"

"What're you guys doing outside?"

"Well, we heard what sounded like an argument...and seeing as how you were alone, we came out to see what happened...Sebastian?!"

"It's Sebastian, yes it is!" Mey-Rin squeaked, her face blushing red.

He turned around to give the servants a little bow.

"It's nice to see you all doing well."

He walked towards the servants for pleasantries and I turned around to William.

"Hey..I'm sorry about that."

He looked at me wordlessly before sighing and setting a hand on my head.

"It's not your fault. Anyways, I hate to leave right now, especially since that thing is back, but I'm still clocked in so I got to go."

"Again..I'm sorry. I'll see you around?"

William's face softened into a kind smile.

"Of course."

With that, he disappeared into the forest. I stared after him for a few seconds before turning back to the Phantomhive servants.

"Hey."

"What took ya so long, Ster? Rekindling the fire with your husband?" Baldroy teased, gently punching my shoudler.

But before I could respond to that, Sebastian turned towards the chef with a smile.

"Did you say something, Baldroy?"

The chef's voice turned pale and rapidly shook his head.

"Uh..yeah. Nothing. I said nothing."

"I see. Well, it is nice to see you all but I came back to make sure you all are living a comfortable life after what's happened. After all, bo-chan was grateful to you all. How about we go inside? I'll make tea."

"Oh my gosh! I've always wanted to have Sebastian's tea!"

Surprisingly, all the other servants was discreet enough to not ask Sebastian about Ciel. I wanted to ask him about what happened while he was gone but I decided to hold my tongue until everyone settled in.

* * *

Sebastian made us tea and magically whipped up a cake that went along with it and served us. We sat at the table when I realized we didn't have enough chairs for him to sit down too.

"Sorry Sebastian, we don't have enough chairs for you to sit down. You could use my chair if you want," I offered, standing up halfway.

But the butler just smiled.

"It's fine, Miss Sterling."

"Okay then..."

I slowly sat back down and took a sip of the aromatic tea. It smelled like the tea Ciel drank the first time I met him and I couldn't wait any longer.

"Hey, Sebastian."

"Yes?"

"Are you going to tell us what you have been up to the last couple days?"

He brought his index finger to his lips and winked.

"All in due time, Miss Sterling."

"Oh! You're not wearing your gloves anymore."

Without thinking, i grabbed his left hand and examined it.

"You don't have that contract symbol anymore.."

"Miss Sterling, you've become awfully touchy since I came back."

"Hmmm?"

I looked up and saw that everyone was staring at me in disbelief. I let go of his hand immediately and laughed sheepishly.

"A-anyways, you still didn't tell us what happened when you were gone."

"I presume Sterling has told you all about me?"

They all nodded.

"Since my contract has been fulfilled, I can now disclose the details of the contract. Although I do not know if I want to yet. Anyways, I'll just tell you that you are no longer employed under the Phantomhive family so go out and find jobs while you can."

He set the teapot down on the table and looked around.

"I suppose I could tidy the cottage up while I'm here. Would you all mind waiting outside for a few minutes?"

"Sure..?"

Sebastian lead us ouside and in a blink of the eye, the cottage turned brand new, like when we first made it.

"Wow!"

We ran inside and I opened the cupboards in the kitchen to find new expensive china along with an assortment of household items.

"Sebastian, are these...?"

"They are from the mansion. As a...gift."

"Woah, what is this, Sebastian? Feeling sentimental? How unlike you, heehee."

Sebastian turned to the servants and smiled.

"Please make yourself at home while I have a word with Miss Sterling."

"Wha-Wait!"

Sebastian picked me up in a princess carry and dashed out of the cottage. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in front of the remaining Phantomhive manor.

"So? Why'd you bring me here?"

"Hmm..I don't want the others to disturb our...little talk so I came here."

"I see."

I walked around the rubble and picked up a piece of the mansion.

"Are you going to tell me what happened now?"

"What would you like to know?"

"Is it safe for me to assume the reason you're here and Ciel isn't here means the contract was fulfilled and over?"

"Yes. Although he's not as gone as you may think."

"What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you another time. Anyways, not that I'm free..."

He walked towards me and lifted my chin with his index finger.

"How about we make a contract?"

"Uh, Sebastian. You're acting differently."

"Of course. After all, I'm no longer a butler. I'm no longer...Sebastian."

"But isn't that your name?"

"It was given to me by my previous master. My name is not actually Sebastian."

"Previous master? You mean Ciel, right? If he gave you the name Sebastian, then what is your actual name?"

"I could tell you anything you want to know...if you form a contract with me."

"Tch, Sebastian. Are you seriously looking to form another contract already?"

"Why shouldn't I? The sole purpose for my existence is to consume souls. I'll do anything to be entertained in this infinitely long life."

"Hmm..I'll be lying if I said I wasn't interested in spending an eternity with you buuuuuut I'll have to decline your offer."

"Ahh, come on," he whispered, leaning into my neck," Sterling. Don't make me ask you twice."

I felt an involuntary shiver run down my back and I pushed him away.

"No thanks! But I wouldn't mind being your pet."

"Oh? Why the change of heart?"

I shrugged and played it off cool.

"It's nice for a girl to be spoiled once in a while."

"What about the rest of them?"

"You mean Finni and the others? Hmm..I think they'll do just fine on their own."

"You're going to leave your friends, just like that?"

"Don't tell me you think I'm sentimental like humans. You should know better than anyone what it's like to not be attached to anything."

"That is true. Well then, shall we go?"

"Uh..hang on. I gotta do something first. Could you take me back?"

"Yes, my lady."

I chuckled and playfully punched Sebastian in the shoulder.

"What a tease. Don't call me that, alright? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd prefer Miss Sterling over my lady. Much less embarrassing."

Sebastian picked me up again and we went back to the cottage. On the way back, we made some plans about what's happening in the future and he disappeared after he set me down in front of the cottage. I walked inside and found everyone sitting together in the kitchen.

"Hmm? Where's Sebastian?"

"He left."

"He left? Just like that? You know where he went?"

I shook my head.

"I don't need to. Anyways, we should come up with a plan for the future. You know, I won't be around forever."

"What are you talking about, Ster? You're going to be around for much longer than any of us will be!"

"True..but if I decide to leave again, what are you going to do about money? You guys shouldn't depend on me for an income. You're all capable people. You should have no problem finding jobs in town."

"Don't talk like this, Sterling! I don't want to think you'll ever leave us!" Finni whined, looking at me with his puppy eyes.

I felt a dull ache in my chest but ignored it.

"I'm just being proactive, alright? Anyways, I'm going to take a nap so see you later!"

I left the kitchen and as I walked up the stairs, I heard the servants..well, I guess they're not servants anymore...I heard my friends chatting.

"What was that about?"

"Sterling was acting really weird.."

"I think she's going to leave us! But...I don't want her to leave!"

"Finni! We have to remember she has her own life too. We can't keep her here if she doesn't want to stay."

"I agree, yes I do!"

I plopped myself on the bed and curled up in a ball.

 _Am I really going to do this? Did I make the right decision?_

As I pondered this problem, I fell asleep.

* * *

 **DAMN! I think I brought Sebastian back WAY too early. Now I'm forced to make a choice with who she ends up with. But I'm guessing the answer is already pretty obvious. Anyways, this chapter was so difficult to write but I hope it was alright! I think this is ending. Really, really, really soon.**

 **DeathlyIceMaiden: I feel a bit bad for Will too but he's kind of a tragic hero...he can't escape his fate**

 **BlackDragon2016: Sorry! But there probably won't be many cliffhangers left because there isn't much story left...it's kind of a bittersweet feeling, actually haha**

 **Tails307: That was the reaction I was looking for!**

 **Kihala Sisters: Like I said earlier, there probably won't be many cliffhangers left**

 **promocat: Yes he is!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Well, well, well. Hello. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't say much in the intro...do you guys actually read/enjoy these little blurbs? Lemme know!**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other _stuff_ that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Nng..."

I stirred in the bed with my eyes still shut. I could feel the sun streaming on my face through the window and I slowly blinked my eyes and sat up. However, as I stirred, I heard a slight groan next to me and I saw that Mey-Rin had wrapped her arms around me during the night.

"Wow...I slept for a long time, huh?"

I had somehow slept through the afternoon until the next morning. I carefully squirmed out of her arms and jumped out the window. Landing softly on the balls of my feet, I took a deep breath in.

"Early morning is the best!"

I slowly wandered around the forest, just soaking up the beautiful morning when I heard a loud screech. I ran back to the clearing to hear what was going on.

"Huh?! Where did Sterling go?!"

Then, I heard the boys downstairs groaning.

"Why're ya yelling so loud in the morning?" Baldroy grumbled.

"Sterling...Sterling is gone, yes she is!"

"WHAT?! No way! I didn't think she'd be leaving this soon!"

"Sterling's gone? Aww...," Finni said, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

I found myself sighing and I walked into the cottage.

"If I left, I would have at least let you know, alright? Don't think of me as a cold and heartless nymph, geez!"

"Sterling!"

"God, Ster. Don't scare us like that!"

Finni's eyes widened when he saw me and he ran up to me before giving me a crushing bear hug.

"Alright, alright, Finni. I'm not leaving yet. Don't be so sad!"

"So you ARE leaving!"

"Well..," I said, giving an awkward laugh.

Baldroy turned away from me.

"We can't keep her here if she doesn't want to stay, Finni."

As I was about to comment on how cool he was being, I heard a sniffle. I ran in front of the chef and saw that his eyes were welling up and I lightly punched his shoulder.

"And I was just about to comment on how cool you were being! Look at you, you crybaby."

"I can't help it, man."

"There, there," I cooed, petting his hair.

"But where are you going to go, Sterling?"

I looked at the maid, at a loss of what to tell them. We all took a seat in the living room and, after thinking about it, I decided I should tell them the truth.

"Well, Sebastian kind of asked me to accompany him on his...next adventure, I guess."

"Woah, Ster. Do you...have like a thing with Sebastian?"

"Baldroy, what are you talking about? Does he seem like the kind of person who would trouble himself with these things?"

He scratched his beard and looked at me thoughtfully.

"I guess not. It's just that I've always wanted to know if he had any part of him that resembled a human being."

"Why would I want to resemble such pathetic creatures?"

We all turned our heads and saw the demon standing there.

"Speak of the devil..."

"I am a demon, not the devil."

"Sebastian, why are you here so soon?"

He walked towards us and lifted my chin with his index finger.

"I got tired of waiting."

His gaze was smoldering and I felt my temperature rise. I pushed his hand away and saw Mey-Rin was holding her cheeks and blushing red.

Baldroy chuckled and gave me a sly smile while kicking me under the table.

"Don't have a thing, ey?"

I glared at him and stomp on his toes with all my might. The chef yelped and jerked his leg away only to hit his knee on the table. I scoffed and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Serves you right."

"So am I supposed to leave already? I don't think I'm ready though..."

Sebastian looked down at me with something similar to pity.

"Oh, you disappoint me, Sterling. What happened to what you told me yesterday?"

"Uh..."

As I struggled to come up with an answer, we heard a knock on the door and Sebastian's face immediately turned sour. I welcomed the interruption and opened the door.

"Hello."

"William! You're here again."

"Of course. How could I miss a chance to see you? Actually, I have something important to tell you."

"Oh, okay. Come on in."

I moved to the side and let William in. But as soon as he entered the house, his face turned sour too.

"What's _that_ doing here?"

"Oh, he's-"

"I've come for Sterling."

Sebastian turned towards William and the temperature in the room instantly dropped several degrees.

"H-hey. Calm down guys."

William sighed and looked past the demon at me.

"I'll let this go for now because I have something to tell Sterling."

He walked up to me and pulled me out of the chair.

"Let's talk outside."

"Uh..okay?"

He dragged me outside to the clearing and held me by my shoulders.

"What is it, William? Why do you look so serious?"

Wiliam continued staring at me before crushing me to him.

"I couldn't tell you before..."

"Couldn't tell me what?"

"I finally found you again and I couldn't bring myself to tell you."

I struggled out of his grasp and took his face into my hands. I looked straight into his eyes.

"What is it?"

"Remember I told you how shinigamis have to work until they are forgiven for the crime of commiting suicide?"

I nodded my head.

"Well, I was already counting down the days to when my soul would finally be forgiven when I first found you."

"When will you...leave?"

"Tomorrow."

"And you couldn't have told me earlier? I would've spent more time with you if I'd known..."

"I know. And I'm sorry. I just..couldn't."

"William..."

"I am so glad to have found you again. But this time, it'll really be goodbye."

He embraced me and I was enveloped in his body heat. William whispered, his voice muffled by my hair.

"This will be the last time you'll see me."

I felt my eyes tear up and I pulled away from him.

"Thank you..for everything. And I'm sorry I wasn't able to be a better wife...or at least, a better friend."

He shook his head and gave me his gentle smile.

"No. You are perfect as you are. Could I ask for one last favor?"

I felt my heart shatter as I looked at his smiling face and nodded. However, instead of speaking, William's face came closer and closer until I could feel his breath on my face. My eyes widened and before I could say anything, he pressed his soft lips against mine. His kiss, like him, was warm and comforting. I felt the tears spill down my face as we kissed and after a few seconds, we pulled apart. I wiped the tears from my eyes with my hands and I looked up at William. He gave me a sad smile and pulled me into a hug again.

"Goodbye, Sterling."

"Goodbye, William."

He pulled away from me and disappeared into the forest without a single glance backward. I stared after him and felt the dull ache in my chest again. I took a deep breath to compose myself and turned around to go back to the cottage. Once I was inside, everyone looked at me expectantly.

"Why was he- Ster! Why you crying?!"

Baldroy looked almost comical at how flustered he seemed but I was in no mood to laugh. I sniffled and took a seat, brushing past Sebastian.

"Well, he's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?"

"Just gone. We won't see him again."

I felt Sebastian's gaze on me and I could almost tell what he was thinking. He probably wanted to sass me about being emotional or attached but that wasn't exactly the case. I felt that I owed William so much more than I actually gave him and knowing that fact and the fact that I would never be able to return his kindess hurt my heart. I sighed heavily and slightly turned my head to look up at Sebastian, who was still standing as still as a statue.

"Well?"

"Well...?"

"Didn't you come to say or do something?"

His eyes narrowed as he looked at me then he abruptly turned away.

"It can wait until another time."

"What do you mean?"

Sebastian began walking out the door wordlessly and looked back at me one last time.

"I'll give you a week."

After he said that, Sebastian disappeared.

"What did he mean, a week?"

"I think he meant a week for Sterling to spend with us!"

"Is that true, Ster?"

I turned back towards them, feeling just a bit grateful for Sebastian. I felt tears welling back up and I smiled at them.

"I think so. I guess I'll be bothering you guys for another week."

* * *

The week passed by in a blink of an eye. We didn't try to celebrate or do anything special; rather, we lived our last week together like we used to. Backtalking each other, making food, and most of all, having fun and spending time together. Although the week seemed to pass by quickly, each day felt like several days. When I thought about the time I have left with my friends, the days seem to pass by extremely slowly but before I noticed, the week deadline was up.

The morning after the week, I got up only to realize everyone else was already up. As I walked downstairs, I smelled something delicious.

"Ster! We made you breakfast!"

"It smells amazing! Baldroy, I didn't get to say this before, but although you're constantly screwing around, you cook quite well."

"Thanks, Ster. It's a bit embarrassing hearing you compliment me, to be honest."

"Haha well, don't get used to it!"

I sat down at the table and Mey-Rin brought over the breakfast. As she spoke, her voice was thick with emotion and I heard her sniffle.

"Here's your breakfast. I'll always remember the time we spent together, Sterling."

"Thank you, Mey-Rin. I hope you'll do well in the future. Although I know you'll all do fine as long as you stick together."

Finni looked at me with tearful eyes and threw his arms around me as I was about to take a bite.

"Sterling! I don't want you to leave!"

"O-Oi, Finni! We've talked about this!"

Finni's arms tightened around me before relaxing and dropping to his side. He sniffled and looked at the floor.

"I know..."

"Thank you, Finni. I appreciate how much you care for me."

I placed the bite in my mouth and continued to slowly eat the breakfast, savoring every bite. But soon, I finished everything. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Finni ran and opened the door. Sure enough, it was Sebastian. He gave us a smile and walked in.

"Good morning."

"Morning, Sebastian," everyone else said.

Sebastian looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Ready?"

"Yeah..."

I got up from my chair and as I walked towards the demon, someone called me and I turned around.

"Miss Sterling!"

"Tanaka?!"

"Yes. I wanted to thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your assistance with the Phantomhive family and with bo-chan."

Tanaka gave me a deep bow and I felt a bit shy. I bowed back.

"Thank you for everything you've done, Tanaka. I would like you to have this. I didn't get a chance to finish it, but as long as you get someone to place the glass in here, it should work."

I handed the old man the skeleton of a silver monocle and his eyes sparkled with joy.

"Thank you very much, Miss Sterling. I shall treasure this forever."

"Well, everyone. It is time for us to go. I bid you good day," Sebastian declared, before turning on his heel and leaving the cottage.

I bowed to everyone again and said thanks. I hugged everyone and ran out the cottage before I started crying again.

* * *

 **Is this...the end? Well..I don't know! There might be something after this..hehe alright I won't tease you. There's just a teeny tiny bit left of the story (I think) so I'll see you in the next one!**

 **promocat: She does! She's not as apathetic as she pretended to be in front of Sebas-chan.**

 **Kihala Sisters: I would not be surprised if Sebastian did that! xD**


	29. Chapter 29 (END)

**Well, well, well. It would seem I shall be bidding you all good day soon. I want to say I'm sad it's ending but that would be lying because I really enjoyed writing this story. It was so fun to watch the readership grow and to read your reviews and I had a lot of fun thinking about different scenarios and responding to your reviews! Thank you for reading :)**

 **And a little note...I'm using what I got from the end of season 2 of the anime, where the souls of the people demons eat will continue to reside as individual consciousness in the demon's body.**

 **I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters but I do own characters, events, and other** ** _stuff_** **that did not happen in the anime/manga. Enjoy!**

* * *

I silently followed behind Sebastian as we entered the forest from the clearing around the cottage. I had no idea what he was thinking but at this point, I felt like basically a piece of self-moving luggage, trailing behind him. Why did I even decide to leave with him if this was how I was going to feel? As we continued walking, Sebastian suddenly stopped and turned around.

"What?"

"I was just trying to understand why you decided to leave your friends behind for me. Do you, perhaps, have _feelings_ towards me, Sterling?"

"Woah! You called me by my name!"

"I'm no longer the Phantomhive butler so there is no need for me to hold on to formalities."

"I see."

I started walking again when I realized Sebastian hadn't moved from where he stood. I turned towards him and raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Oh...well, I care for them but I would be way too bored to just live a quiet and peaceful life after everything that went on."

"I see."

He continued standing there and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. As I was about to say something, Sebastian walked up to me and smirked down at me. I flinched and back away from him.

"You don't want to do that."

Sebastian put a hand on my shoulder and slid it down my arm, causing me to shiver. I stood frozen like a statue, not knowing how to react to this and his hand reached mine.

"Uh..whatcha doing, Sebastian?"

He remains wordless and tangles his fingers with me, picking up our hands and showing it to me.

"Wouldn't want my pet to get lost now, do we? Think of this as a sort of...leash."

"Wha-You're really treating me like a pet?!"

"Isn't that the terms of your staying with me for the rest of time?"

"W-well...when you put it that way..."

Sebastian smirked again and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"I'll reward you if you are a good girl and punish you if you misbehave."

I looked up at him, dazed but also blushing, before turning my head away.

"Whatever you say!"

I could not handle how different Sebastian had become since completing his contract. He was more aggressive and I didn't know if my heart can handle this difference.

"Oh? What's this?"

He moved his face in front of mine and used his free hand to turn my face around.

"I had no idea someone with silver skin could get so red! I guess you learn something new every day."

"Stop!"

I pushed his hand away unsuccessfully and he just chuckles.

"Let's go."

"Go where?"

"Somewhere where I can relax completely."

"Where's that?"

He winked at me.

"You'll see soon."

Without saying more, Sebastian picked me up and took off at an even faster speed than he used to run.

"Woah! Did you get faster?"

"Yes. Although I may not seem it, I was quite weak when I first met you, as I haven't consumed a soul in a long, long time."

"How long?"

"At least a few decades."

"Wow. So in a way, I'm better than you because I don't need to actively find an energy source?"

"Whatever you say, Sterling."

We fell into silence and the only thing I could hear was the sound of the wind whooshing around so I closed my eyes and enjoyed the wind. After what seemed to be about fifteen minutes, the wind began dying down and I slowly opened my eyes.

"Woah!"

I lifted my head off Sebastian's chest and looked around. We were somewhere that did not resemble any area around London at all. The surrounding was drab and gray with fog kissing the equally drab ground. He put me down and took a satisfied breath. I stole a glance at his face and saw that for the first time, he seemed to be completely relaxed.

I walked around for a little bit and turned towards the demon.

"Where are we? I don't sense a single living being here."

"This is the Island of Death, a sacred island for demons."

"So why'd you bring me here?"

Sebastian looked at me and smiled.

"I'd like to make a contract with you."

"WHAT?!"

I stared him in disbelief as my jaw dropped to the floor.

"Wait, are you serious? I thought I told you I wasn't going to make a contract with you!"

"You did? I don't remember."

"You liar!"

Sebastian just gave me his million dollar smile again and stood there silently. But as I thought about it, I remembered something William said.

 _I don't actually have a soul, right? So would Sebastian even be able to make a contract? Hmm..this does sound interesting. Alright! I'll give it a go. Besides, I've lived long enough._

I sighed and looked at the demon with my furrowed brows.

"Hmm..fine. Let's make a contract."

"Oh? I didn't expect you to agree so quickly."

I shrugged and squared my shoulders.

"So...what do I need to do? Walk me through this process."

Sebastian stared at me as if in disbelief before coming to his sense and walking in front of me.

"When we make a contract, I will place the symbol you saw in Ciel's eyes and my hand somewhere on your body. The more obvious the placement, the stronger the bond between the demon and his master."

"Will is hurt?"

"Deliciously so."

"Ugh...I don't know...Why are you so intent to make a contract with little ole me?"

"Just curious."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

I sighed again and thought about where I wanted the symbol when I realized something.

"What am I going to get in return for making a contract with you?"

Sebastian leaned in again and moved his face until his lips were mere millimeters away from my own and breathed out.

"Anything you wish..."

I backed away, blushing, and pointed at the demon.

"Don't do that again!"

"My apologies, I couldn't help but want to tease you when you're like this."

"Alright! You'll be my butler until I get tired of you. Then, our contract is fulfilled."

"Now that's hardly fair, Sterling. I know you'll never get tired of me."

"Then what am I supposed to do? How about this. You can have my soul right now and seeing as I'm basically immortal, but you'll have to serve as my butler for the rest of eternity."

Sebastian tilted his head and looked at me thoughtfully. I could tell his curiosity was getting the best of him and I almost giggled, although I was a bit nervous at what's going to happen. But whatever does happen, I don't have anything to lose so I shrugged off my worries and focused my attention back at Sebastian.

"Oh, and you have to tell me your true name."

"You make a tantalizing offer, Sterling. I supposed I will agree to your terms."

"Okay..uh, I want the symbol to be somewhere obvious...how about the hollow of my throat?"

"Wherever you want it is where I'll put it. Although...," Sebastian trailed off as he ran a slim finger up the side of my neck, causing me to get goosebumps," it would be quite a sight to see."

"Alright already! Let's just get this over with."

"Then, let's go."

* * *

Sebastian brought me to the remains of an ancient structure, where the only thing left of it was a stone bench and parts of the four walls. As we walked towards the bench, I noticed something on the ground and as we got closer, I let out a gasp.

"That's Ciel's..."

I picked it up and looked at Ciel's eyepatch nostalgically.

"I kinda miss him."

"I'm sure he feels the same."

"Really?"

"Yes."

I plopped myself on the bench and felt myself begin to tense up. Sebastian brushed my hair back behind my shoulders and caressed my skin, starting from my cheeks to my lips down my neck and ending at the hollow of my throat. I was too nervous to enjoy his hand gliding on my skin and as I was about to speak, I felt a piercing pain and my back arched from the agonizing sensation.

"Se...bast...ian...!" I groaned in pain, barely able to even utter his name. I somehow directed my eyes at his and saw that his eyes were glowing and that he had reverted to his true form. Even though I'd seen his form before, I couldn't help but be taken back at how unsightly he looked. But I had no room in my brain to spare from the pain radiating from where Sebastian's hand was on my neck. Eventually, I found myself blacking out from the pain but somehow I persevered and the corners of my sight came back to me. As my vision cleared, I also felt the molten pain slowly but surely release me from its painful claws. Before I knew it, everything went back to normal. My neck was burning and throbbing where Sebastian was touching but other than that, I felt normal.

But when I reached a hesitant finger up to the hollow of my neck, the moment I touched it, I felt an intimate connection with the demon standing in front of me and I blushed.

"This is the first time someone has blushed looking at my true form. Are you so in love with me that you'll accept me in any form?" Sebastian teased, turning back to his human form.

"No! It's just...I didn't know what to expect. I guess this is why you and Ciel seemed so close."

"Close? That's hardly true, Sterling, and you know that."

"Not true! You guys understood each other so well and got along fine...you guys got along so well people thought you were a gay couple."

Sebastian's eyebrows raised up before furrowing.

"Really?"

I stifled a giggle and tried to keep my face straight.

"Yeah! Why would I lie to you? You seriously had no idea?"

"None at all. I thought I had acted professionally and carried out my duties perfectly."

"You did. It's just that...I can't really explain it. Just take my word for it."

"Yes, my lady."

"Just call me Sterling."

"Yes, Sterling."

"Wow...I'm really enjoying this leash...now you're the pet and I'm the master! Let's see...Sebastian, tell me your true name."

"You're the first to ask...My name is Pithious."

"Pithious?! Really?" I asked incredulously before bursting out in laughter. "That's the most ridiculous name I've ever heard!"

"My apologies, Sterling. But that is my name and I cannot change it."

"Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't hold it in. Anyways, you're free to take my soul, seeing as we already made the contract. But after this, you'll need to let me know why Ciel named you Sebastian."

"Yes, Sterling."

Sebastian began doing the same moves as he did when he first place the seal and I stared at his face as he moved. He paused for a few seconds and met my eyes.

"Like what you see?"

I felt myself blushing again and I huffed.

"Just get on with it!"

Despite what he said, I kept my eyes glued on him and he placed his lips on the symbol. I let out a gasp as I felt Sebastian forcefully break through an invisible barrier I didn't know existed in me. His glowing eyes widened as I felt him devour a piece of me. Suddenly, he coughed and I snapped back to reality.

"What happened?"

"What...was that?" Sebastian rasped, breathing heavily.

"How should I know?"

His eyes were still glowing but Sebastian had a look of disgust on his face.

"What's wrong? I didn't tell you this before but according to William, I don't really have a soul."

"So you tried to trick me?"

"Well...not really. I was more...testing that theory."

Sebastian stood up straight before sighing and plopping himself on the stone bench next to me.

"You do have a soul, Sterling. Although not like a normal human soul. Yours is part of something...bigger. Plus, your soul is repugnant."

"Hey! That's just rude. I can't control how my soul tastes."

"Nevermind that. I'm surprised, though."

"About what?"

"I did not even make a dent in that massive shared soul and it tasted awful, but if I'm correct, I should be able to feed on this for an eternity."

"What?! What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly as what I said, Sterling. It seems we will have a binding contract forever after all."

"You, as my butler, and me, as your source of food?"

"Precisely. And I will make sure to _thoroughly_ mature and manipulate the flavor of that soul."

"Can't say I'm too excited to have to go through that again but I have always wanted to know what's it's like to live the life as your master. I look forward to the future with you," I said, smirking as I tried to hide my embarrassment at Sebastian's suggestive comment.

"Likewise."

With that, we sealed our contract and Sebastian became my butler while I became an everlasting source of a soul.

* * *

"Wait! The story can't end yet. Sebastian still hasn't told me why he was named Sebastian."

"I will tell you if you order me to do so, Sterling."

"This is an order: tell me why Ciel named you Sebastian," I said, trying and succeeding at imitating Ciel's tone.

"The bo-chan named me after his dog."

"Wait..what?!"

I burst out laughing at his response and laughed so hard I feel tears coming out of my eyes.

"That is priceless! Ciel, you little trickster...I can't imagine how much you hurt his pride!"

 _"In my defense I had just gone through something extremely traumatic and the first name that popped into my head was Sebastian, our old dog who died of disease."_

I can't stop laughing and Sebastian merely pressed me against the wall.

"Don't make me do something that you'll regret, my lady."

"Hey! What did I tell you about calling me that?"

"I'm sorry, I don't quite remember."

I hear Ciel sigh and I zipped up my lips.

"Fine. I'll stop laughing. You're welcome, Ciel! Although I make no promises you won't see something you don't want to in the future," I said, hinting at what can happen in the long rest of our lives and I could positively feel Ciel's soul glow in embarrassment.

 _"Just make sure you give me a warning!"_

"I make no promises. Now, come here, you."

I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against Sebastian's.

* * *

 **OH. MY. GOD. THIS IS THE END. I can't decide whether or not this is the best ending but I like this ending the most! Let me know what you thought about it! Hehe, I want to thank you all again for sticking through this with me. This story ended fairly quickly but that was because I posted so often, so you guys can't really complain about that, can you? ;) So until next time, my friends. BYE!**

 **HINT: I might be starting another story featuring oneshots between Seb and Ster as time progresses but that idea must be put on hold for now! The name will be The Records of Sebastian so look forward to when that becomes a thing! Thank you to A fan of Many Stuffs for this idea :)**

 **BlackDragon2016: I think this is the best..I don't think she would've been happy ending up with Will**

 **Tails307: Thank you!**

 **promocat: I can't say how thankful I am that you've been reviewing SINCE CHAPTER ONE. But thank you so much for your dedication to my story!**


	30. UPDATE

**Hi everyone! Just coming here to let everyone know that I published the intro chapter of The Records of Sebastian where Sterling and Sebastian live through major historical events! I hope everyone has been well and I'll see you at the other story :)**


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